The possibility of the AIADMK's withdrawl and party chief Jayalalitha's bribe charge agaiunst the Prime Minister's Office dominated backroom conversation at the BJP's three-day national executive meeting that concluded on Sunday.
BJP managers however succeeded in preventing the AIADMK issue from formally figuring in the meeting';s agenda. Why should the meeting "undue importance to Jayalalitha" was the common reference .The executive is a policy making body and the AIADMK issue was not a policy decision, a spokesperson said.
Apparently party leaders informally decided that the AIADMK issue should not come in the meeting. A few leaders who tried to raise the issue were cold shouldered by the party leadership. The first to raise it was Rajya Sabha member Vijay Kumar Malhotra. He suggested on Saturday after the political resolutions was out before the executive that the resolution shoulkd say about Jayalalitha also. BJP president Kushabhau Thakre clarified that this wasnot a policy issue and hence could be discussed independently. Senior party leader J P Mathur said that the issue should be ignored.
Parliamentary affairs minister Madan lal Khurana tried to raise the isues by seeking clarification on Bezbaruah's transfer from the enforcement directorate. Other leaders bood him down and pointed out that he was part of the government and did not need a party forum to seek clarifications from the government. Thakre pointed out that transfer of an official was the government's decision and the executive should not discuss it.
Majority of executive memebrs privately held that the party should not succumb to Jayalalitha's pressure tactics and that the BJP-led coalition should oust the AIADMK from the government. Tyhe party however asked them both formnally and informally to keep patience. Vajpayee said this in his speech at the meeting. He agreed there were procvocations from some of the allies of the BJP and said managing the coalition needed patience.
Thakree too in his inaugural speech referred to the issue without naming Jayalalita. The government has been working within the "compulsions of coalition politics", he said. He described the situation as "apparent lack of the spirit of accommodation among some of our allies". he urged the BJP's allies " not to air their perceived grievances or differences in peception through the media but to make the coordination committee an effective mechanism Advani refused to come on the AIADMK issue on behalf of the party while he addressed the press along with Thakre and general secretary M vebkaiah Naidu. Advani merely added that the governmentwas stable and would last its term. Thakre and Naidu ignored a newsman's query on the AIADMK issue.
The executive'e political resolution did not mention it but expressed the feat that parties opposed to the BJP trying to gang up to try and subvert the people's mandate. It called for better coordination and greater cooperation among the coalition partners.
Some BJP leaders wanted the issue to be discussed threadbare in tye meeting. They said they wanted to know if prime miniister's former aide Pramod Mahajan was bribed to get M K Bezbaruah transfered. Jayalalitha has alleged so, though not directly. There was no statement on this except the priome minister's statement that Jayalalitha had not given proof about her charged against the PMO. Interestiongl;y a note was circulted to executive members by unidentified persons. The note detailed the events leading to Jayalalitha';s differences with Bezbaruah and the reported patch-up. It referred to jayalalitha as JJ and Bezbaruah as B. It also referred to the role of Janata party chief Subramaniam Swamy. Some executive members privately held that the note might have been circulated by Mahajan who was more than forthcoming to explain his position.
