Bjp Draws Up Plan For A Future Without Jaya

Key political managers of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government are working on a contingency plan to offset the possible withdrawal of support by the 18-member AIADMK of J Jayalalitha.

This includes driving a wedge within the AIADMK as well as the 17-member strong Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Having achieved the reputation of being an unpredictable ally, Jayalalitha is now seen by senior ministers as someone the coalition would have to dump sooner than later in the interests of stability. The search for alternative support has led them to target the AIADMK itself, among other potential parties like the RJD and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

 

Jayalalitha leads a Tamil Nadu-based alliance comprising five parties. It has a combined strength of 27 in the Lok Sabha, but there are already differences within this coalition on the issue of dismissing the Karunanidhi government. Gopalaswamy of MDMK has already gone on record to state that his party is opposed to the misuse of Article 356. Several AIADMK MPs too are said to be not too happy with Jayalalithas single-point programme of dismissing the DMK government.

A senior BJP functionary said the government could also depend on the support of the six-member DMK group. The DMK has inched closer to the

BJP-led government ever since Prime Minister Vajpayee stated categorically during the last session of Parliament that there is no plan to dismiss its government.

The personal relationship between Karunanidhi and Vajpayee has also contributed to this political relationship which prompted Karunanidhi to remark in the state assembly that he is ready to sacrifice his government if it helped Vajpayee remain in power. BJP sources said senior ministers have been in touch with DMKs Lok Sabha leader Murasoli Maran.

The RJD is considered a prime target for engineering a split, thanks to the ongoing cases against party chief Lalooo Prasad Yadav, and the possibility of the party and its government being further discredited after the income-tax raids were carried out this week. With assembly elections considered a possibility in the near future, RJD leaders are reported to be in touch with Samata Party.

A senior Samata Party leader had almost succeeded in effecting a split in the RJD before the confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, but it was derailed as Laloo Prasad Yadav reportedly got wind of it and threatened those who were willing to cross over with dire consequences. The same leaders are said to be in close touch with the Samata leader who is also working on enlisting the support of Ram Vilas Paswan of the Janata Dal.

For the record, we will continue to try and do what Jayalalitha demands. After all, her support has been invaluable in forming this government. But if things get too hot, we are ready with a contingency plan to compensate for the loss of her support. During the crucial budget session, every situation would have to be thought of before hand, the BJP functionary said.