Rift in BJP over quota

The BJP today appeared to be divided over the issue of reservations even as it endorsed party president Rajnath Singh's stand on reservations for poor among the upper castes.

The party accepted the draft political resolution of the National Executive being held in Delhi. But some OBC leaders strongly expressed their disagreement with it.

At a discussion on the political resolution, former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya and BJP legislature party leader in Maharashtra Gopinath Munde maintained that the party's stand was 'confusing' and 'sending wrong signals'. When Dattatreya spoke, Rajnath interrupted him saying that party office-bearers (Dattatreya is a secretary) did not speak during discussions.

"Dattatreya then said that he had not been party to the core group that had discussed the issue," said a top source in the party.

"The stand could harm the party's interests in south India where OBCs have a substantial population," sources quoted the Andhra Pradesh leader as saying.

Some leaders are also understood to have demanded action against some central leaders, including V K Malhotra and Sushma Swaraj, for visiting the agitating medicos and taking sides with the anti-reservationists.

However, journalist-turned-party leader Arun Shourie reportedly opposed reservation in toto.

It was left to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to pour oil on troubled waters. He asked the agitated leaders to sit down while telling that it was in BJP's favour to take a moderate stand on the issue.

"We are not opposed to reservations, but we must realise that the upper caste votes for the BJP," he said.

Trying to tread a middle path on the controversial issue, the draft resolution charged the UPA government with creating social tensions on the reservation issue and asked it to ensure that merit was not squeezed while implementing the quota regime.

"The BJP had supported the constitutional amendment to provide reservations in higher educational institutions. However, while doing so, any attempt at divisiveness must be avoided. Social fabric of the society must not be damaged," the resolution said.