Party general secretary Narendra Modi said at the daily briefing that the party was cautiously watching the developments and necessary steps would be taken when the matter was discussed at the coordination committee of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Responding to a question if the Dal would be admitted to NDA, Modi recalled that the Dal had played an important role in bringing down the Vajpyee government and had also supported supported Sonia Gandhi for Prime Ministership.

About Fernandes and Hegde's status in the NDA coordination committee, Modi said they continue to be convener and member of the committee respectively.Congress dismissed the split as ``nothing new'' with party leader Pranab Mukherjee saying the party had a history of uniting and splitting. Modi refused to comment when asked if Karnataka chiefminister J H Patel's proposal to join the NDA was a liability or an asset, he said.

Karnataka unit of the party reportedly was opposed to tie up with the Janata Dal as it was of the view that the party stood good chances of winning the elections on its own.

CPI-M and CPI have termed as "political opportunism" the breaking away of a faction of Janata Dal to align with Samata Party and Lok Shakti and said they would have to explain why they voted against the Vajpayee government in the confidence vote. "It is sheer political opportunism. These members of JD had voted against the Vajpayee government and are now aligning with the partners of the same BJP," CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury told PTI.The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) described the split as a "retrograde step" and said the faction deciding to become part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would only "promote communalism". "Sharad Yadav has hijacked a historic party and landed that party into the lap of communal forces," NCPspokesman Devendra Nath Dwivedi said.