Struggle for NDA chief's post casts shadow on BJP chances

NUCLEAR DEAL POLITICS IN FULL PLAY

Accompanying the UPA-Left drama, the opposition BJP-led NDA was going through its own little crisis, which party leaders fear may scuttle the first chance they have of bringing down the UPA government.

After Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat lost the race for presidentship, he declared he would not be going into hibernation as suggested by some.

This is causing friction in the BJP as Shekhawat's supporters feel that with his standing in politics and seniority in the BJP, he should be made chairman of the NDA.

The post is held by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but owing to his health, the NDA believes he should not be saddled with more responsibility. At 85-plus, Shekhawat is no young sprig but is considered more fit than Vajpayee.

However, a section of the party feels the position should go to LK Advani, also the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Thus competing pressure groups are jockeying for a position that should logically go to the person who will be projected in the future as the NDA's prime ministerial candidate.

A set of meetings over the weekend gave rise to speculation the NDA was positioning itself as a possible beneficiary of the anxiety of the UPA allies to avoid general elections. Shekhawat's supporters said the NDA should be ready to stand by if the UPA split. His acceptability across party lines was cited as the strongest argument for appointing him the chief of the opposition coalition.

Advani's supporters refuse to countenance this and say Shekhawat's overweening ambition could kill the NDA's first realistic chance of bringing the UPA government down.

Any premature moves that suggest the BJP-led NDA could fill the breach created by the UPA-Left break-up could actually cement the breach as a crucial concern of the Left is that the BJP should not benefit from their disarray. Although this tussle is yet to take any formal shape, party sources say it is on and that the UPA crisis has given it an extra edge.

Meanwhile, the NDA leaders will meet tomorrow to discuss their strategy in Parliament on the Indo-US nuclear deal. "Any further decision will be taken by the NDA, which will discuss its strategy at tomorrow's meeting," said BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.