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By Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI MARCH 22. At a stormy meeting of National Democratic Alliance leaders here this evening, a renewed commitment to adhere to the letter and spirit of the common NDA agenda was made after the BJP's allies articulated their "unhappiness" at the manner in which "divisive issues" outside the NDA agenda had been repeatedly raised in recent weeks. The allies could not be "silent spectators" to events that had deepened the communal divide in the country. The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, and the Trinamool Congress chief, Mamata Banerjee, were among those who spoke forcefully on the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance, the recent Ayodhya developments and the communal carnage in Gujarat. At the two-and-a-half hour meeting, the Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, was forced to "clarify'' that there had been no selective use of POTO against the minorities. He said he had immediately taken up the matter with the Gujarat Government. Over 10,000 pre-emptive arrests had been made in Gujarat "without any bias towards or against any community.'' It seems that only after this assurance that Dr. Abdullah was "persuaded'' to give his party's support for the POTO legislation that is coming up before a joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament on March 26. A major grouse of the allies was that the current consultations on important issues were not enough. A unanimous statement adopted at the meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, accepted the suggestion for "more frequent and extensive consultations''. There would also be joint NDA parliamentary party meetings, at least once during every parliamentary session. Apparently, it was clarified that the BJP was as embarrassed as the allies were with the manner in which Sangh Parivar outfits had raised issues, even defying constitutional bodies such as the Supreme Court. In response to questions, the Defence Minister and NDA convener, George Fernandes, who was briefing the media, said the allies did not raise the controversial Bangalore resolution of the RSS. Earlier, leaders of the key allies and supporting parties of the NDA met informally and sent out a strong message that the Vajpayee Government must adhere to the NDA agenda for governance. They favoured enforcing a code of conduct. The message was that if the BJP's Sangh Parivar loyalists felt free to articulate the RSS agenda or that of its affiliates such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, it would be a free for all. The allies would not sit silently and watch helplessly as the nation's secular fabric was torn apart. The view was that BJP MPs must stop pleading the VHP's cause in Parliament and the Government must make every effort to rein in its "wild siblings" in the Sangh Parivar. But there was also another underlying theme. The problems within the NDA must be solved without destabilising the Government. Later, talking to reporters informally, Sudip Bandopadhyaya (Trinamool) said that in the current atmosphere putting a stop to the reported plan of taking out "asthi yatras'' (processions carrying the ashes of the Godhra outrage victims) was a must. Such processions could only worsen the communal tension that had gripped Gujarat. And with festivals such as Holi and Muharram round the corner, nothing should be allowed which could disrupt peace and harmony. This informal meeting was attended by Yerran Naidu (Telugu Desam Party), Ms. Banerjee and Mr. Bandopadhyaya (Trinamool), Raghunath Jha and Prabhunath Singh (both Samata Party), D.P. Yadav (Janata Dal-United), Jai Narain Prasad Nishad (Lok Jan Shakti), Sushil Indora (INLD) and Ali Mohammed Naik and Abdul Rashid (both National Conference), although the Prime Minister's men were reportedly active trying to get the meeting scuttled. The effect of the informal confabulations was felt even before the formal NDA meeting got started. The Gujarat Government announced that neither the VHP-proposed "asthi yatras'' would be taken out, nor would the Muslims' `tajia' Muharram processions next week. The charges under Muslims arrested for the Godhra outrage would not be proceeded under POTO.
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