Karnataka - Bangalore

BJP sends a message to ally

B.S. Satish Kumar

The BJP's Vikas Yatra was to show that it is ready to face mid-term polls

BANGALORE: Yatras are not a new form of political mobilisation for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But the Vikas Yatra, which is the first political yatra organised by the party after coming to power, was distinct from other yatras insofar as it conveyed an indirect political message to its coalition partner, the Janata Dal (Secular).

The 13-day yatra, which concluded in Udupi on April 24, was meant to tell its ally that it is ready to face mid-term polls if things go wrong between the coalition partners when it is time for the JD(S) to hand over the Chief Minister's post to the BJP. According to the power-sharing pact, a BJP Chief Minister will be sworn in after the JD(S) completes its 20-month term at the helm in the first week of October.

No explicit reference

Though none of the BJP leaders made any explicit reference to the subject, it was clear that the yatra was all about the party's preparedness to face such an eventuality, both in terms of the way in which the yatra was organised and its timing.

The yatra, which covered 24 districts, witnessed a good turnout of people, barring the valedictory session held in Udupi. The good response to the yatra enthused the BJP leaders who introduced Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa as the next Chief Minister at every stop. Mr Yediyurappa was confident that the transfer of power would be a smooth affair.

The BJP appears to have become more aggressive after media speculation of a meeting between the JD(S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, hinting at a possible reunion with the Congress. Though Mr. Gowda has strongly denied that such a meeting took place, the BJP wants to take no chances.

Populist schemes

In fact, in the State Budget this year, Mr. Yediyurappa has attempted to consolidate the party's base with a series of populist schemes, many of them with a saffron tinge. The yatra, launched soon after the Budget was announced, was an attempt to reap the political harvest from these budgetary schemes. It also appeared to be an informal pre-election campaign for the urban local body polls, as the yatra touched only urban areas, but the polls were put off.

These developments are an indication of the off-stage tussle between the coalition partners.

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