Now Hegde, Samata try to soften BJP

After his meeting with Thakre, Hegde said he hoped there would be no more “hiccups” before the July 31 meeting of the NDA. He admitted — obliquely — that not informing the BJP before talking to Karnataka JD leaders was “not proper.”

BJP leaders, meanwhile, justified the resentment within their Karnataka unit with spokesman M Venkaiah Naidu accusing the JD of making “unilateral announcements” without consulting the local BJP.

Asked how the BJP was defending the Bihar unit’s decision to welcome the JD joining the NDA, he said: “What is wrong if a state unit comes to an understanding with like-minded parties at the local level to improve its poll prospects?”

He said the party has “not applied its mind” over whether to admit JD into the NDA, as there was no concrete proposal before them. A decision will be taken on this issue at the NDA meeting, he added.

While the BJP’s tiff with the Lok Shakti seems to have been resolved to some extent, its verbal duel still continued with another ally, the Samata Party, over whether senior BJP leaders had been taken into confidence on the JD developments.

Digvijay Singh, while admitting that he spoke to Advani, told mediapersons that he stood by his statement that BJP leaders had indeed been informed about Samata’s plans to tie up with the JD.

But the BJP denied that its top brass was consulted. Advani is learnt to have told members of the BJP’s central campaign committee that Singh telephoned him to deny media reports quoting him as having criticised the BJP leaders.

“He told me that he did not take either my name or Vajpayeeji‘s. He had only referred to his party’s six-month-old resolution to unite Socialists,” a BJP leader quoted Advani as having told the Campaign Committee.

BJP leaders too stuck to their old tune. “None of the senior party leaders like Thakre, Vajpayee and Advani were told about the JD’s intention to become part of the NDA,” Naidu told newspersons.

Naidu said there were no proposals before the party about the Samata Party making such a move. “Therefore, there is no question of any confusion, suspicion or differences among the Karnataka unit and the party high-command,” he maintained.