Prickly issues may dominate NDA meet

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 26. Although there is no formal agenda before the leaders of the National Democratic Alliance who will be meeting here tomorrow, there are several prickly issues staring them in the face: the latest is the threat of Dr. Farooq Abdullah, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader, to pull out of the ruling coalition. However, for the present the NC may simply register its protest by not attending the NDA meeting.

The attacks by allies against the Bharatiya Janata Party's attempts to saffronise education have been all too obvious, Ms. Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress has been waiting to re- enter the coalition, for Mr. George Fernandes, Samata Party leader, the priority is to get NDA approval for action against Tehelka journalists, and then there is the question of finalising a code of ethics on norms for ``re-entry'' of constituents once they have left the NDA.

Mr. Fernandes being the NDA convenor, the urgency with which this meeting was called suggested that the Tehelka issue would dominate the deliberations to be held at the Prime Minister's residence tomorrow morning before Parliament assembles. It remains to be seen what the National Conference does, whether it will raise objections to the reported statements of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister casting aspersions on the election process in the State by which the NC assumed power or discuss the matter privately with the Prime Minister later.

It seems that more or less the re-entry of the Trinamool into the NDA fold is through - apparently, Ms. Banerjee has been invited to an end-of-session dinner being hosted by the Prime Minister the day after - and a formal decision may well be announced after tomorrow's meeting.

Some of the allied parties had been privately saying that they would like the NDA to thoroughly discuss the saffronisation of education for which the Government recently drew flak in Parliament. Many of the allies have been critical of this and have commented that the move was not part of the agreed NDA agenda for governance. However, given the fact that the meeting cannot extend beyond 45 minutes (it will start at 10 a.m. and at 11 a.m. Parliament assembles) this issue may have to wait for another day. Only one meeting has so far taken place to discuss the code of ethics which was to have been formulated by a four- man sub-committee of the NDA and placed for approval before the full committee. Mr. Fernandes and three others held a brief meeting on August 15 and it was decided that he would draw up the code and call another meeting of the sub-committee for finalising the recommendations. But it seems that has not happened.

The one issue which will definitely come up is on the recent Tehelka affair which has established the laying of a honey-trap by the investigating journalists. The Samata Party has already stated that it would like the journalists to be arrested and charged, but there are others in the Government who feel that it would be counter-productive.

The argument is however reprehensible the means employed by Tehelka, the newest part of the scandal has hardly enhanced the image of the Samata Party whose former treasurer has come out as one ready to use and supply women. But even so, the NDA may find itself assuaging the feelings of Mr. Fernandes by making some noises of disapproval.

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