Senior BJP leaders are worried that they may find it difficult to get some of their coalition partners to reiterate the recommendation for President's rule in Bihar, if President KR Narayanan returns the recommendation sent to him on Tuesday. The President had not taken a stand till yesterday evening. Some BJP leaders yesterday expressed concern that the delay in giving his accent could mean the President might return the recommendation for a reconsideration.
However, a number of their coalition partners could take a tough stand against renewing the recommendation to the President.
BJP leaders are wary of the fact that the Telegu Desam Party (TDP), which contributes tacit support of 11 Lok Sabha members, could refuse to go along.
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A senior BJP leader, however, said that a refusal of the allies to support the Cabinet decision would mean they wanted to bring down the Vajpayee government. He warned that the situation could take a serious turn.
The BJP allies have spoken in various voices, often at variance with the Cabinet's decision. Commerce Minister RK Hegde even publicly opposed the decision despite being in the Cabinet himself.
Home Minister LK Advani and some of his Cabinet colleagues, however, succeeded in persuading Hegde not to oppose the dismissal any more.
Both the TDP and the Akalis boycotted the emergency meeting convened by Advani on Thursday, signaling their reluctance to go along with the government on the issue. Akali leader SS Barnala also stayed away from the Cabinet meeting that recommended the dismissal. The absence of most of the BJP allies at the meeting has depressed the BJP leadership, according to party sources. The meeting was meant to assess whether the allies would stick together if the President returned the recommendation, a senior BJP leader said.
Union Minister Murli Manohar Joshi's statement that the Cabinet would recommend dismissal for a second time is a part of the BJP's strategy to exert counter-pressure on the President to accept the recommendation, a party source said. Most Opposition parties were pressurising the President not to sign the recommendation, he pointed out. Meanwhile, the AIADMK has demanded dissolution of the Bihar legislative Assembly besides dismissal of the government. This was meant to build a precedent for the dissolution of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, a BJP leader said.