Date:23/09/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/09/23/stories/2003092305541100.htm

National

Fernandes calls on Joshi

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI SEPT. 22. The Defence Minister and Samata Party leader, George Fernandes, today met the Human Resource Development Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, even as it became apparent that a decision on Dr. Joshi's resignation would be taken only after the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's return from New York at the weekend.

What has now become clear is that the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership never took Dr. Joshi into confidence about its decision that none of the chargesheeted in the Babri Masjid demolition case should resign from any office they might hold. For reasons not known, Dr. Joshi was not invited to participate in any of the deliberations held by the party to discuss the issue ahead of September 19 and on that morning before the court delivered its order.

In fact, BJP sources confirmed that Dr. Joshi learnt of the decision when he telephoned the party president, Venkaiah Naidu, on September 19 afternoon to inform him that he had sent his resignation to the Prime Minister. It was then that Mr. Naidu told him about the decision.

It has been recalled that in 1996, when the hawala case was made out against Mr. Advani, he insisted on resigning from the Lok Sabha against party wishes. It was later that he was able to get the party to see his point of view.

Whatever be the fate of Dr. Joshi's resignation, what has become clear is that all is not well with the party — Mr. Advani and Mr. Naidu seem to be at loggerheads with Dr. Joshi. Till this evening, neither of them had visited Dr. Joshi. And the matter can now be sorted out only at the level of the Prime Minister. Although it is not being said directly, almost everyone in the party agrees that the signal of a divided house can only have an adverse impact on the Assembly elections looming ahead.

All that Dr. Joshi would say today was that Mr. Fernandes had come to see him and they discussed many subjects which had nothing to do with his resignation. Mr. Fernandes himself described his visit as "personal". Later, the Samata Party spokesperson said the party was "in agreement" with Dr. Joshi's decision. He did "the right thing" by resigning, the SP said, thus indirectly denying that Mr. Fernandes had tried to persuade Dr. Joshi to withdraw his resignation.

There are some who believe that Dr. Joshi saved the party from embarrassment by tendering his resignation swiftly. If he had not done that, he and the party would have become the target of Opposition ammunition.

The BJP is still hoping that it can successfully challenge the court order through legal avenues open to it and prevent the actual chargesheeting of three of its leaders and others of the Sangh Parivar.