Bjp Says Stage Set For Fresh Elections The Wheel Turns A Full
A section of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were yesterday convinced that the stage was set for fresh elections.
There seemed little hope of an alternative government after the United Fronts constituents wrote to President KR Narayanan saying they would not support either the BJP or the Congress to form such a government.
The BJP leaders, nevertheless, decided to keep their options open till the President took a final decision.
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The party would decide whether to stake claim at a meeting of the central office-bearers today.
Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said, All options are open. Former party president Murli Manohar Joshi described the withdrawal as an end to the theatre of the absurd. It will be a requiem to the government that was formed on the negative approach to keep the BJP out of power.
Party spokesperson Sushma Swaraj described Congress president Sitaram Kesris claim as ridiculous. He has pulled the rug and now he should leave the floor to the BJP, she said. Prime Minister IK Gujral is not the first one to be betrayed by the Congress, she alleged.
BJP general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu had stated earlier that the BJP would not stake claim unless it is sure of majority. The partys only concern seems to be to prevent Kesri from becoming the Prime Minister.
The BJP feels it would be able to split the Congress only if the President invites Vajpayee to form the government. However, Congress MPs will not desert their party if Kesri was invited to form the government.
The BJP is in touch with at least 50 Congress MPs who could switch loyalty once the BJP was invited, a party office-bearer claimed yesterday.
The issue was debated at the partys central office-bearers meeting on Thursday. Senior BJP leaders contended that there was no way to prevent the dissolution of the present Lok Sabha if Narayanan insisted on seeing a list of 272 MPs supporting a particular party to invite its leader to form a government. The President has reportedly told West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, when the latter met him, that his invitation would depend on the leader of a particular party producing a list of at least 272 MPs.
The BJP leaders were not worried about Kesri getting the support of the 20 MPs of the TMC, 17 of the SP , 16 of the RJF and 11 of the BSP. These added to the Congress strength of 150 (with allies) would come to 214, which is 21 more than the combined stregnth of the BJP and its allies.