Date:30/08/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/08/30/stories/2002083006520100.htm

Front Page

Jayalalithaa's remarks evoke protest

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI AUG. 29. The Bharatiya Janata Party seems to have made up its mind to rake up in a big way, once again, the issue of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin. The remarks of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, on this yesterday are being seen as a `teaser' that will be followed up actively by the BJP and its partners in the National Democratic Alliance.

Today, the BJP's youth morcha issued a statement: "It is really tragic that the party which ruled for more than 50 years has chosen a leader who has a foreign origin. This is really shameful for the Congress Party in particular and the country in general.''

Yesterday, the BJP general secretary and spokesperson, Arun Jaitley, was quick to say that the issue was on the agenda of the ruling National Democratic Alliance,, it could be legislated upon, may be even through a law to be carried by a simple majority in Parliament which would debar citizens not born in India from holding high constitutional office.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal president, Laloo Prasad Yadav, today criticised what he called the "BJP game", saying in Patna that Ms. Jayalalithaa's "outrageous outburst'' against the country's `bahu' (daughter-in-law) was "at the behest of the NDA and the RSS''. After all, Ms. Jayalalithaa had given a letter supporting Ms. Gandhi to the President in 1999, he recalled.

The former Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, described the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's attack as "unprovoked'', even as he suggested that it was calculated and well-rehearsed. Ms. Jayalalithaa had no problem using the Congress and the Tamil Maanila Congress to wrest power in Tamil Nadu, but now she wants to discard those who helped her to get back to power.

Several politicians suggested that Ms. Jayalalithaa's remarks were calculated to soften the BJP Government's attitude towards her and help her get over her legal cases. Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere dismissed the foreign origin issue as a "closed chapter'' that Ms. Jayalalithaa had attempted to reopen "after meeting the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani''.

However, the fact is that the NDA Government had already demonstrated during the passing of the Prevention of Terrorism Act that it would not hesitate to short-circuit the Rajya Sabha, where it does not enjoy a majority, by calling a joint session of Parliament. It passed POTA despite strong opposition, and it could well pass a law debarring Ms. Gandhi from holding the office of Prime Minister.

It seems that the BJP is coming to the conclusion that it has been unable to stop the Congress from growing under Ms. Gandhi's leadership. The Opposition has been able to wrest power in many States, and even in Gujarat where a key contest will take place later this year, it is not at all expected to be a runaway victory for the BJP.

The foreign origin issue was taken up by the BJP in a big way soon after Ms. Gandhi became Congress president. The Venkatachalaiah Constitution Review Commission was expected to take up the issue. But after the Commission failed to bite the bait and the Supreme Court settled her citizenship status, the issue was largely dropped.

The BJP then dismissed Ms. Gandhi as a novice in politics and "a no match for Atalji and Advaniji''. But four years later, with the Congress having notched up significant electoral victories, the BJP leadership seems to have come to the conclusion that the best way to deal with her is to eliminate her from the race altogether and sow the seeds of confusion in the Congress.