BJP banks big time on Sachar panel's report

GOVT UNDER FIRE

The BJP may be adamant on its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement in Parliament but the party is already looking beyond the current monsoon session to the possibility of a mid-term poll.

The party has made it clear that its real issue is not the nuclear deal but the action taken report (ATR) on the findings of the Sachar Committee report on the state of Muslims in India and issues related to internal security.

Top sources in the party confirmed that the political and economic resolution at the party's National Executive in Bhopal between September 21-23 would mainly focus on the ATR and internal security. "While the resolutions are still being drafted, these two will be the main issues we will use to corner the government," said a senior BJP office-bearer.

"The nuclear deal, while crucial for national security, does not resonate with the large number of rural voters. As it is a dense subject, more immediate topics like the Sachar panel's ATR and internal security will be at the forefront," said the office-bearer.

BJP parliamentary party spokesperson VK Malhotra has already signaled this by saying that the ATR tantamounts to calling for another partition of the country. "To isolate 100 districts as minority-dominated and asking for special provisions is reminiscent of the way Jinnah led the movement for partition of India on religious grounds," he said. "What Jawahar Lal Nehru did not do, what Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi did not do, Sonia Gandhi is about to," he said. The party is hoping that the Sachar ATR will be another Shah Bano, an emotive issue that can replace the now-comatose Ramjanmabhoomi issue.