BJP sets up crisis cell to curb Cong poaching’

The party does not intend to exactly muster support of anti-Congress opposition MPs but was certainly keen to extract a promise that they would oppose a Congress-led Government at the Centre. Apart from Chandra Shekhar the party was in touch with Ram Vilas Paswan and another Janata Dal MP from Bihar, Ambarish Kumar, BJP sources said.

As part of its strategy to win over friends while keeping its own flock intact, BJP and its allies have set up an informal crisis management committee (CMC) to check alleged poaching’ by Congress to artificially’ swell their numbers.

The committee comprising Information and Broadcasting MinisterPramod Mahajan, Parliamentary Affairs Minister R Kumaramangalam, Defence Minister George Fernandes and BJP general secretary Venkaiah Naidu, has been in constant touch with almost all the members.

It was as part of their attempts to resist the poaching attempts by Congress that leaders of the BJP and its allies have instructed their MPs not to leave the Capital till the political crisis blows over.

The CMC was in constant touch with BJP-led front’s members, getting a feedback on offers made to them by the Opposition camp specially the Congress, BJP sources claimed.

A constant vigil has to be maintained on the MPs as the other side is still short of the number required to secure a majority in the Lok Sabha in view of the internal contradictions, sources said.

A BJP MP from Junagadh, Bhavanaben Chikaliya, alleged at this morning’s meeting of the allies that Congress spokesman Ajit Jogi had offered her a Cabinet berth as a reward for switching sides.

Earlier yesterday, a TDP MP S Vijayrama Raju hadpledged her support to Sonia Gandhi, allegedly after being abducted and bribed by the Congress leaders, BJP sources said.

The BJP tried to revive the morale of its cadres by launching a frontal attack on the Congress for “indulging in horse-trading”. It also described the Congress president’s claim before the President that her party has a support of 272 members in the Lok Sabha as completely false.

Strongly condemning her statement, BJP vice president K L Sharma wanted the Congress to publish the list of 272 MPs. When Samajwadi Party and Leftists have not yet decided about their stand towards a Congress-led government, how can she claim support of 272 MPs, Sharma said.

Janata Dal on the other hand, had informed the President about not lending their support to any formation. If somebody claimed JD’s support, such a claim should not be entertained, they had pointed out, Sharma said.