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Venkaiah avoids AIADMK, targets Congress

Shobha Warrier in Madras

Is the Bharatiya Janata Party still expecting All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalitha to patch up? A section of the party at least appears to be hoping for such a miracle. Why else would general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu blame the Congress and, to a lesser extent, the Left parties for the soup the BJP is now in?

At a press conference in Madras today, Naidu avoided criticising the AIADMK. Instead, he tried to portray the "intelligent" Jayalalitha as an "innocent victim" of the machinations of the monster Congress!

Accusations against the Congress were aplenty. But the question is, can the BJP win peace with 'Madam' by blaming the Congress for the latest crisis?

"Both the Congress and the Left parties have been working actively for the last one year to destabilise the government. They have become jittery because the BJP's perception has undergone a radical change in the media and the general public after we normalised ties with Pakistan," he said.

Naidu accused the Congress of first sending feelers to the government to dismiss Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and then doing a somersault. "They have struck a deal with the RJD [Rashtriya Janata Dal]. The deal is that the RJD can take Bihar and the Congress, India," he said.

He also accused the Congress of trying to split the BJP's allies and destabilise the coalition, as it "cannot tolerate" anybody else ruling the country. "The Congress has never allowed anybody to rule the country. They split parties, encourage defections, give false promises and try to come back to power whenever there is a non-Congress government," he said.

Naidu reminded the Left parties and the Janata Dal, which are now bent upon installing a Congress government, that they were the ones who used to call the party "untrustworthy".

He reiterated the prime minister's stand that no responsible government can meet the AIADMK's demands. "How can you reinstate a sacked admiral?" he said.

About the demand to set up a joint parliamentary committee to go into Vishnu Bhagwat's dismissal, he said, "How can a JPC be formed when there was no discussion in the House? How can a JPC be formed when no case has been framed? Where is the question of a JPC when there is no evidence and no charge?"

Naidu said Jayalalitha's three demands are not the "real issues", but he refused to divulge the "real issues". "The real issues will come out soon," was all he said.

The BJP politician said Subramanian Swamy's tea party was where Jayalalitha changed her mind. "She participated in the co-ordination committee meeting and raised the Bhagwat issue there, but the committee decided not to take any action against the defence minister. She came out of the meeting and told the press that she would continue supporting the government. So what made her change the opinion?"

He denied that Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Kumaramangalam's outburst had had anything to do with the developments. According to Naidu, it was the tea party and the "evil, power-hungry" Congress that were to blame.

But he also said nobody could remain in the ruling alliance and act like an opposition party. "They are making a mockery of government. They have made charges that no opposition party has made. Let the AIADMK look back and see how many times it has embarrassed its own government and how restrained we have been. The BJP has treated all its allies with the utmost respect. We even went to the extent of rolling back certain decisions."

Naidu, however, admitted that the relationship with the AIADMK has almost reached the point of no-return. Asked whether Fernandes would visit Madras again as Vajpayee's emissary, he shot back, "Does he have to offer his head?" He also said there is no direct contact with the AIADMK now, and the two "allies" are exchanging views only through the press.

Asked about the list of parties supporting the Congress, published by Dr Swamy, he laughed, "From day one Swamy has been talking about installing a Congress government at the Centre. But what has he achieved so far?"

He said, "If anyone has any doubt, they are free to move a no-confidence motion, but we are sure of coming out victorious. We are ready to face any eventuality, but we will not compromise on discipline or the interests of the country. Discipline is dear to us and the country is dearer. The BJP is here to stay. I am sure any effort to destabilise the government will fail. In this Lok Sabha, no other alternative is possible. For the last year many have tried, but were they successful? Nothing else is possible. Nothing else is feasible."

Naidu also challenged the parties to go back to the people if they succeed in toppling the government. "Anybody trying to destabilise the government will face the people's wrath. The Congress will suffer like they did in the past."

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