Samata-BJP fight gets murky

He said that “one senior Karnataka BJP leader who is minister in the Vajpayee government, had visited my house to persuade the state JD leaders to join hands with the NDA.” Therefore, it was a “white lie” on the part of these BJP leaders to say that the issue was not discussed with them. Commenting on Advani’s statement on how the Samata Party would feel if theBJP allowed Laloo’s entry into the NDA, Digvijay Singh said,“if Laloo is willing to accept Vajpayee as PM, we will have no objection.”

He wanted to know who represented the BJP’s views on unity among former socialists. “Advani should settle his personal differences within his own party and should not drag the Samata Party (into it),” Digvijay Singh cautioned.

Singh told The Indian Express that Advani did express reservations on the move but could not complain of being kept in the dark. “On the contrary, BJP’s general secretary Govindacharya was discussing the issue with JD leader Ram Vilas Paswan,” he added. He wondered whether the Samata Party was consulted before the DMK was allowed entry into the NDA. Digvijay’s hard-hitting comments came in the wake of statements by Advani, Mathur, Jana Krishnamurthy among others.

Meanwhile, Krishnamurthy, V-P of the BJP, was reportedly told by the PM on Saturday that he was not informed by George Fernandes and Ramakrishna Hegde before initiating unity moveswith JD led by Sharad Yadav. The PM is also supposed to have told Krishnamurthy that the leaders of the Samata Party and the Lok Shakti, in their own wisdom, may have done so to strengthen the NDA. When contacted, Krishnamurthy confirmed his meeting with the Prime Minister but declined to divulge details.

Another senior party leader, Krishanlal Sharma, said: “There is nothing wrong in the unity as such. But the BJP is a force to reckon with in Bihar and Karnataka. The NDA constituents should have consulted the BJP leaders.”