NDA unsure of what has hit them, Atal prefers silence

A grim looking Atal Behari Vajpayee, sources said, did not utter a word on the Sonia issue while L K Advani, among those at the last meeting which decided to boycott Sonia’s swearing-in, only said: ‘‘Let us wait for one more day.’’

But NDA convenor George Fernandes indicated that the Sonia issue was not quite over and the alliance planned to press for a legislation to bar persons of foreign origin from occupying high offices: ‘‘It’s not a dead issue… yeh to aane wali Lok Sabha main mudda ban kar rahega (this will become an issue in the new Lok Sabha).’’

Outgoing Law Minister Arun Jaitley was more guarded: ‘‘We are not saying anything yet… we have already made our stand clear (on the foreign origin issue).’’

Asked what would happen to the ‘block-Sonia’ campaign, RSS spokesman Ram Madhav said: ‘‘We never launched any campaign. We only supported individuals and organisations who opposed attempts by a person of foreign origin to assume the prime ministership.’’

Echoing Fernandes, he said: ‘‘We feel that the issue must be settled for all times to come. People of foreign origin must be barred from occupying high offices.’’

By evening, after Sonia had announced her decision to opt out, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti was rewriting her script. Earlier, before setting out for Kedarnath, Uma had ‘resigned’, sending her quit letter to BJP president Venkaiah Naidu and not to the state Governor: ‘‘Sonia’s drama (declining the PM’s post) is false, but my resignation is genuine.’’

She later claimed that Sonia had changed her mind after meeting President Kalam. She demanded that ‘‘the details of what transpired between the President and Sonia be made public.’’

Former BJP general secretary K N Govindacharya, who launched the Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan against Sonia becoming PM, agreed that the ‘‘issue would naturally die down in the immediate context.’’ But he said he would reserve his comments ‘‘till another leader’s elected, supported by Congress allies and is invited by the President to take oath.’’

VHP vice-president Giriraj Kishore dittoed ‘‘there’s no need for an agitation now but the question of people of foreign origin occupying high offices must be settled.’’