The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided not to react to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Kanshi Rams remark that the BJP is a super vulture.
Although some hardline senior leaders are uncompromising, almost contemptuous, the majority of BJP leaders seem to feel Rams statement in Chennai was mere sabre-rattling, intended for the consumption of the BSPs rank and file. Most BSP voters are opposed to the BJP, with which the party has an alliance in UP.
BJP national secretary Sangh Priya Gautam yesterday described Rams claim that the BSP would not align with the BJP for the next elections as premature, even insisting that the two parties would not part ways. There will be an electoral alliance between the BJP and the BSP and this will be done by Ram himself, Gautam asserted.
BJP vice-president KL Sharma said at the partys official briefing that Rams statement demonstrated his desire to keep all options open, one of which includes electoral understanding with the BJP. Sharma also claimed that nothing would come in the way of a smooth transfer of power in Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking to Business Standard, Gautam went a step ahead and claimed that the BSP cannot stand without the BJP. The only other option for the BSP would be to align with Mulayam Singh Yadav, he said, and Yadav would never tolerate Mayawati as chief minister. Yadav would rather rule Uttar Pradesh rather than be a minister at the Centre, he held.
He dismissed the speculation in political circles about the BSPs demand for changing the speaker of the assembly. The agreement clearly stipulated that the Speaker would be from the BJP, he pointed out. Sharma added that the speakers post was non-negotiable.
The BSP evidently fears that the BJP could wean over some of its legislators, or those of other parties in the assembly if the Speaker, who is empowered to recognise splits, goes along with its maneouvres. The BJP government could then continue until 2001 without the support of the BSP or any other party.
However, a section of party leaders, including former prime minister AB Vajpayee, is eager for the alliance with the BSP to continue, so that they could together sweep UP in the next Lok Sabha elections. Many BJP leaders expect these this winter.
Gautam, for instance, did not fault Ram for stating that the BSP would not align with the BJP. This has been Rams stand ever since the BJP-BSP coalition government was formed in UP, he pointed out. Ram has clarified that the BSP would abide by the agreement reached between the two parties on power sharing, he added, and so the BJP has no reason to doubt the BSP chiefs credibility.
The BJP-BSP alliance has helped both the parties and there is every reason for this to continue, Gautam said, claiming that this has brought a new direction to the BJP, besides uplifting the bahujans.
Rams charge that the BJP is status quoist is not true. The BSP leaders criticised Lord Rama, Mahatma Gandhi and organised function in honour of Periyar Ramaswamy Naicker, but the BJP tolerated. It did not object even when Kanshi Ram constructed Ambedkar chowk at Lucknow and got names of some districts in UP changed after Dalit leaders, he noted. Had the BJP been status quoist, it would have not accepted all these, he claimed.
BJP leaders silence after Ram called it cobra and super vulture was yet another exaple of a definite change in the partys direction, he claimed.
In a lighter vein, he said that super vulture means one who is farsighted and, hence, Ram should have no problem aligning with the BJP.
