The Hindu : BJP keen on coordination committee

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 27, 2002

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BJP keen on coordination committee

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 26. Talks between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party on government formation in Uttar Pradesh inched forward today with a series of meetings, but it seems that the formation of a coordination committee and an agreement on a common minimum programme for governance remain the main hurdles.

The BJP appears keen on both, but the BSP sees a trap that would cramp the style of the BSP leader and would-be chief minister, Mayawati.

If each of the coalition partners is given equal representation in a coordination committee, it would mean that the BJP and its allies would have an overwhelming majority. The BSP's argument is that the Janata Dal (United) or the Lok Janshakti does not deserve representation equal to the BSP as their presence in the Assembly is insignificant. But, apparently, the BJP's allies, especially Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal, are keen on a coordination committee coming through.

The BJP may not even get the Home portfolio. As one BJP leader put it, "If Mayawati will be in-charge of all administration, covering all transfers and postings, which no doubt she will be, what use will the Home portfolio be to us? It will be better not to take it, for all that it could mean is if there is violence, the BJP would become answerable.''

Today the BJP State leaders, Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra and Lalji Tandon, met at Mr. Rajnath Singh's residence here. Mr. Mishra and Mr. Tandon also met Ms. Mayawati and separately they met with some of their allies. Last evening, for the first time, there was a meeting between Ms. Mayawati and Mr. Ajit Singh.

Party sources maintained that the talks could take another day or two. Then the BJP parliamentary board would meet to give its formal approval to power sharing before Ms. Mayawati is sworn in as chief minister. "The deal may be clinched tomorrow or it may take a couple of more days,'' BJP leaders said.

RPI assails move

NEW DELHI APRIL.26 . The Republican Party of India today took exception to the proposed tie-up between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh and saw the move as a `betrayal of the Dalit movement and the Ambedkar movement'.

The RPI party chief, Ramdas Athawale, MP, appealed to MLAs belonging to the minority community to break away and help in the formation of a `secular' alternative in U P. He

said both the BSP leaders, Kanshi Ram and Mayawati, had garnered votes in the name of Ambedkar who waged a relentless battle against communalism, but bartered it by joining hands with the BJP just for the sake of power.

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