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| Moves afoot to bring Congress, BJP closer | | | Early Times Special Correspondent
Jammu | Oct 29
Multi pronged moves are afoot to persuade BJP to bailout Congress led UPA government, in the event of left parties pulling the rug under its feet, as a result of the UPA government going ahead with Indo-US nuclear deal, which has been kept at hold for the time being. At the US official level both the BJP and the left parties are sought to be convinced of the desirability of finalizing the deal and not delaying it beyond this year end. The US representatives who called on the opposition leader L K Adwani a well as West Bengal Chief Minister Budhdev Bhatacharya to convenience them that the deal is in the interest of India.
The pro US and pro nuclear deal lobby in the media and intelligentsia in India have upped their ante to save the deal from collapse. In their move to create atmosphere and public opinion in favour of the nuclear deal some English newspapers have launched a concerted campaign to bring home the unhealthy affects of the deal falling down. In this regard the Indian Express in its issue of October 29 has carried a lead story about how N-power units in the country are at the brink of starvation for non availability of nuclear fuel, required to run the units. The statement by the former National Security Advisor, Brijesh Mishra, a close confident of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari vajpayee that on his part he would support the nuclear deal if he was convinced that the same would not put any constrain on our indigenous nuclear program, is indicative of ample scope for bringing around BJP to give new look to the Indo-US nuclear deal and at least see to it that the Manmohan Singh government does not fall on this issue. Brijesh Mishra is believed to have given the statement with the consent of Atal Bihari Vajpayee to test the depth of water.
The BJP is also worried over the space of opposition being occupied by the leftists, who successfully pressurize and dictate terms to the UPA government, which makes the position of BJP as the main opposition party untenable. Further subscribing to the general prediction that in the event of Lok Sabha elections being held at this stage, BJP strength may be reduced and Congress may be little gainer, the BJP would not like the elections to be held in the near future, till it consolidate its position, after having on comeback trail following controversy over Ram Setu. Following the cosying up of leftists with UNPA and forging a common platform to oppose the nuclear deal, BJP may not like to be isolated. There are reasons to believe that given some face saving devise, the BJP may review its stand with regard to the deal. Even if BJP aggress to abstain in the case of any division in the Lok Sabha over the nuclear deal or in case of no confidence motion moved jointly by the UNPA and left against Manmohan Singh government, the government can be saved.
Apart from saving the nuclear deal, there are moves from certain quarters to bring the Congress and the BJP little closer, to cut to size the leftists as well the regional satraps. In this behalf a write up appearing in the Indian Express of October 28 by a columnist N K Singh under the heading "A CMP between Congress and BJP" has tried to bring home the desirability of the two major national parties having some sort of understanding and not remaining dragger drawn with each other. Some think tanks in the country are veering around the idea of the desirability of bringing Congress and BJP closer, by laying stress on many common points and common agenda of the two major all India parties. While there is no dearth of Congressmen and their supporters subscribing to the ideology advocated by BJP, there are many in BJP and their circle of its supporters who would like to bring about some sort of understanding between the two parties.
As far RSS, which matters a lot in moulding the course of thinking and even line of action to be adopted by the BJP, it would not be adverse to BJP cosying up with Congress and the two joining hands to solve sub burning problems facing the country in cooperation with each other. These include national security and country's solidarity as well as growing threat from casteism and regional interests sought to be served by some regional parties at the cost of the national interests. In the past RSS has favoured to be on the right side of the Congress. In this regard one can recall a move mooted by then RSS Chief M S Golvalkar and then Deputy Prime Minister and Union Home Minsiter Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel for the RSS volunteers to join the Congress, in the wake of negotiations being held for the lifting of ban on RSS which was imposed following Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. Then BJP and even Jan Sang were not formed then. It was only after the failure of this move, which was summarily put down by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, that RSS floated its own political party, Jan Sang. Again the Jan Sang and Congress came closer at the time of Indo-Pak war of 1971, which led to Indian victory and creation of Bangladesh by dismembering Pakistan. The BJP top leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee had praised Indra Gandhi's brave and bold action, by calling her incarnation of Durga. |
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