BJP ALLIANCE FORMS UNIT; REVOLT IN CONGRESS (I)

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last week got together with its political allies to form a new body called the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The NDA is a front consisting of political parties, which supported the BJP-led government in the motion of confidence against it in Parliament last month. Among these figure the DMK, Indian Lok Dal, the MDMK, PMK, the Samata Party, Akali Dal, the Shiv Sena, Akali Dal, the Biju Janata Dal and the Tamil Rajiv Congress. Others expected to provide support include the Telugu Desam Party, and the Trinamool Congress.

The NDA will contest the forthcoming elections against the Congress (I) on a common manifesto and it has appointed Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as its head. The alliance's manifesto is to be drawn up by a committee headed by home minister L.K. Advani. Its election plank will be "to be Indian, vote Indian." This obviously hits out at the Congress (I) President and candidate for Prime Minister, the Italian-born wife of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi.

Even certain senior political leaders within the Congress (I) seemed to agree with the view that the nation should have an Indian head. Sharad Pawar (who headed a broadcasting regulations committee a couple of governments ago), P.A. Sangma (a former speaker of the House and an information & broadcasting minister) and Tariq Anwar - members of the Congress (I) Working Committee (CWC) - have questioned the need for a foreign-born Indian to be the prime ministerial candidate for the Congress (I). Their revolt could lead to a split in the party thus reducing its chances of victory further at the hustings in September-October. The CWC had called a special meeting to take a decision on the three senior leaders, even as several members of the Congress (I) were demanding that they be sacked.

The three leaders did not attend the meeting held late in the evening today. But Sonia Gandhi handed over her resignation to the CWC at the meeting. She stated that she has chosen India as her motherland and she is an Indian first, and if her foreign birth is becoming a liability for the Congress, she would prefer to resign. The CWC rejected her request to step down. Obviously, the next few days are going to be a time of hectic activity.