BJP looks for way out of logjam

The next move in the "you-blink-first" game between the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has to come from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, according to senior Bharatiya Janata arty (BJP) leaders.

The NDA has withdrawn its names from the standing and consultative committees of Parliament in protest against the condemnation of the Opposition moved by the Leader of the Lower House Pranab Mukherjee during the first part of the Budget session.

According to BJP leaders, only the personal intervention or some conciliatory moves by the Prime Minister can now repair the situation.

"We have done what we wanted to do, now it is up to the government to make a conciliatory move. We can meet them halfway only after that," said the leader.

BJP chief M Venkaiah Naidu said it was the duty of the government of the day to seek the co-operation of the principal Opposition.

"This is all the more so clear in the matter of the general election 2004 mandate, which was not a clear mandate for a single party," he said.

What many BJP leaders, however, do not say is the fact that having argued themselves into a situation wherein their participation in Parliament has been reduced to a name only, they are hoping that the government will make a conciliatory gesture towards them.

"Let them do something at least to bring us back," said a senior BJP leader.

While the decision to withdraw from the committees was taken after Mukherjee condemned the Opposition, several BJP leaders consider it an ill advised move.

"Now we will have to wait for the government to make a move, the Prime Minister has described it as reckless and irresponsible, but not a single mention has been made of any moves to bring us back into the committees," said another BJP leader.

By evening, however, the Nationalist Congress Party and the CPI(M) had asked NDA leaders to reconsider the move to boycott the parliamentary committees.

The last time a situation like this was sought to be diffused, when Manmohan Singh had called up former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to ask NDA members to behave.

"That did not have the desired effect. Let us see what the political managers of the government do now," said a BJP leader.

Even the Prime Minister's Office appears obdurate seeing that there was no effect even though Singh called up Vajpayee. "The question is if the NDA is not prepared to meet us halfway what can we do," sources said.