Bjp Leader Contradicts Thackeray

Bharatiya Janata Party chief whip in Parliament Ram Naik yesterday contradicted a statement by Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray that the BJP could come out in support of the beleagured Deve Gowda government.

There is no question of the BJP supporting the Gowda government and neither has Deve Gowda asked us for support, Naik said when asked about an interview given by Thackeray to an eveninger here yesterday hinting that the United Front government had chances of survival with possible outside support of the BJP or a section of Congressmen led by former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao.

On Thackerays logic that if the BJP can support Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh, why cant it support Gowda at the Centre, Naik said the situations are different as in UP, the BJP and BSP have come together to form a government and we are not offering outside support to the state government.

On the Sena chiefs statement that some Congressmen led by Rao could support the Gowda government, he said the Congress was getting fragmented and any section of Congressmen can take any action which cannot be anticipated.

Asked about Congress president Sitaram Kesris criticism of Gowda over his meeting with Thackeray in Mumbai, Naik wondered why Kesri was raising the issue at this stage and had not withdrawn support to the UF government then if it was such a big issue.