BJP readies for life after Jaya

The BJP’s public posture is that it is confident of tiding over the crisis created by Jayalalitha even if it means testing its strength on the floor of Parliament. It drew solace from the fact that the AIADMK had still not formally withdrawn support, and that the arithmetic of the Lok Sabha was such that there was no scope for an alternative formation to replace the Atal Behari Vajpayee government.

However, at the culmination of the BJP’s national executive this morning, the mood was grim. In his concluding speech, Prime Minister Vajpayee indicated that the government was likely to face trouble. Without naming the AIADMKleader he conceded: “She has probably made up her mind.” Speaking to mediapersons before leaving for New Delhi, Vajpayee was more guarded. Asked whether his Government was in danger of collapsing, Vajpayee shot back: “She has not yet withdrawn support.” He added: “We shall face the situation as it emerges.”

In his valedictory address, Vajpayee severely criticised the Congress for trying to destablise the Government. “It is today scared of us because of our increasing popularity,” he remarked, adding, “but we are prepared to face the opposition challenge and we’ll come out successful.”

He alleged that the Bhagwat issue was being raked up by the Congress to counter the Bofors scandal. “It is worried about the effect of Bofors. To offset its impact, it has chosen to raise the bogey of defence deals,” Vajpayee asserted.

Upset by Jayalalitha’s demand for the reinstatement of Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat as the Navy Chief, Vajpayee pointed out to the national executive that even the Congress had notraised this demand. He took comfort from the fact that all the other allies were backing the Government.

Late last night, senior party leaders including Advani, Parliamentary Affairs Minister PR Kumaramangalam and BJP general secretary Venkiah Naidu held an emergency meeting to assess the situation. While agreeing that the AIADMK leader’s demands could not be met, they also decided that they would not do anything which could precipitate matters.

To a question whether the BJP-led Government should go to the House, Advani replied: “We don’t have to prove our strength. Let the situation emerge, we prove our strength. We have already done it twice over,”. He too drew comfort from the arithmetic prevailing in the Lok Sabha. “The TINA (There Is No Alternative) factor which worked for the Congress once will now work for us,” Advani claimed.

The PM is understood to have spoken on the telephone to Fernandes and other senior alliance partners last night to chalk out the course of action. He is believed tohave assured Fernandes that there was no question of divesting him of the defence portfolio.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan, while speaking to reporters here today, observed that the demands made by Jayalalitha were impossible to fulfill. Even though he claimed that the AIADMK was still an ally, he said the Government was ready with a contingency plan.