BJP has decided not to do anything that would provoke the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and give it an alibi to create hurdles in the way of a peaceful transition of power in Uttar Pradesh from Chief Minister Mayawati of the BSP to BJP leader Kalyan Singh.
The two parties have an agreement to share the post for six months at a time.
In this context, opposition of some BJP MLAs to the alleged misuse of the Harijan Act was not a part of the party strategy which was articulated at its national executive meeting in New Delhi, a party office-bearer said. Some BJP MLAs raised the issue in the UP assembly the other day.
Some BJP leaders also hold that the BSP would be left with no alternative than a smooth transfer, since the only alternative would be handing power to Governor Romesh Bhandari who is close to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The BSP, which is charged with harassing Samajwadi Party workers, would fear a backlash in case of Presidents rule, one BJP leader said.
A minister in Mayawatis cabinet, Kalraj Mishra, and the BJP UP unit president Rajnath Singh had assured the national executive members that the transfer of power would be smooth. They also made light of the charges that Mayawati was using the Harijan Act to embarrass the BJPs forward caste dominated constituencies. Kalyan Singh, who first raised the issue of Mayawati committing atrocities on forward castes in the garb of the Harijan Act, reportedly kept mum throughout the meeting.
Mishra and Rajnath Singh gave a clean chit to Mayawati on this, saying that the lapses were on the part of over enthisiastic bureaucrats. Mayawati had assured action against erring officials in specific cases, Mishra contended. The party had asked its district units to send their complaints so that corrective action could be taken.
The reports from Uttar Pradesh decided the party line that the BJP should not do anything to embarrass the BSP, as Mayawati has only about one and a half months to complete her six month turn as chief minister, a BJP leader said. If everything goes according to plan, Kalyan Singh, would succeed her as chief minsiter on September 21. Till then we will bear anything and everything, he added.
