Political problems for BJP

AHMEDABAD, Nov 29: During his kar seva at Kevadia on December 4, Sharad Joshi plans to sprinkle water into the dry canals of the Sardar S...

AHMEDABAD, Nov 29: During his kar seva at Kevadia on December 4, Sharad Joshi plans to sprinkle water into the dry canals of the Sardar Sarovar Project. For all practical purposes, he might as well be pouring cold water on the aspirations of the Gujarat Government.

For the first time in the history of the dam issue, opinion among those supporting the project has been split. If that wasn8217;t trouble enough for the BJP, edging its way into the void, with the tacit support of senior Congressmen, is the Nationalist Congress Party. In fact, the government sees the kar seva as an attempt by three Congress leaders 8212; Urmila Patel, Satyajit Gaekwad and Sanat Mehta 8212; to ensure their political rehabilitation through the NCP.

All three have apparently good reason to do so. Mehta was denied a ticket to the Surendranagar Lok Sabha seat, even though he lost by a narrow margin during the previous Parliamentary elections, and former Youth Congress president Satyajit Gaekwad was refused a ticket from Vadodara. Urmilaben was given a ticket but lost, and attributed her defeat to sabotage. Indeed, there were reports at election time that Mehta and Gaekwad were lobbying that NCP for tickets.

Mehta, however, asserts that there is no politics in the kar sewa. In fact, he says, Sharad Joshi has met everyone, from Sonia Gandhi to L K Advani, for the programme. 8220;The NCP is nowhere in the picture; it has no presence in Gujarat8221;, he says, adding, 8220;I had made it clear that I am participating in the programme just like Urmilaben, in my individual capacity.8221; Mehta explains that State party president C D Patel has already stated that Congress as a party was not with the kar sewa.

Another blow for the government has been the support given to the NJA by longtime SSP votary Chunibhai Vaidya. The NJA8217;s movement, he says, is 8220;an initiative that has to be supported8221;, even though he voices concern at the pro-dam voice being split.

For a government which saw Joshi 8212; and Vaidya 8212; as its own, the event is a slap in the face. Narmada Development Minister Jaynarayan Vyas, whose efforts to bring around Sharad Joshi have apparently failed, says this is the first time the farmers8217; leader has come out in favour of the SSP. 8220;There is a favourable atmosphere for Gujarat on the Narmada project but the kar seva would spoil it.8221;

The favourable atmosphere8217; Vyas refers to is the developments of the recent past, which have fallen in favour of the state government. Not only has the Supreme Court given it permission to construct the dam till 88 metres, the government has also succeeded in clearing the controversial power turbines deal with Japan8217;s Sumitomo Corporation and the Centre has cleared the issue of interest-free Narmada bonds.

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That8217;s not all: The Supreme Court has also pulled up the Narmada Bachao Andolan and Arundhati Roy for an agitation while a case was pending in the court. It8217;s possibly this that could rebound on the government, especially in light of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh8217;s threat that he would take the issue to the Supreme Court.