Prominent constituents of the BJP-led alliance on Tuesday have refused to approve of LK Advani?s formal projection as their next prime ministerial candidate.
The Shiromani Akali Dal, the JD(U) and the BJD on Tuesday came out openly in support of Advani?s candidature but there were non-commital responses from prominent allies like the TDP and the Trinamool Congress.
?It is the internal matter of the BJP. We do not have anything to say on the development,? Yerran Naidu of the TDP said. Trinamool leader Dinesh Trivedi also toed a similar line. The non-commital stance is being viewed as a clear sign that they are averse to backing the decision.
Given the evident discomfort within sections of the NDA on the issue, political circles are now debating the timing of the decision and wondering if it is also linked to the Gujarat elections. Party circles assert that several NDA partners were always wary of Advani?s views on a number of issues, who has been known for his hardline Hindutva politics. In fact, parties like the TDP and the TC, with significant Muslim support bases, always tried to keep a safe distance from Advani.
The lack of consensus on Advani in the NDA notwithstanding, BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters on Tuesday in Shimla, that the decision was taken after consulting all the allies.
?The BJP decided to project Advaniji as its next prime minister after consulting senior leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee as well the NDA allies,? Singh claimed. Rubbishing the contention that some NDA partners were feeling uneasy over the development, he maintained that ?they were part of the NDA government in which Advani was deputy prime minister…Why will they have any reservation over him??
Advani?s selection, incidentally, was given immediate approval by the RSS on Monday. ?Whatever decision is taken by the BJP, it has its our support,? the Sangha Parivar?s spokesperson Ram Madhav told a TV channel. Advani?s choice got the best response from Chandigarh, where Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal hailed the decision ?as a very significant and positive development for the country.? He described Advani as an able, highly competent administrator and a far sighted leader.?
JD(U) president Sharad Yadav also told reporters that it had no objections to Advani leading the NDA in the event that it comes to power. ?We have no objection. It is not a problem for us,? Yadav told reporters here. ?BJP is the largest ally of NDA and it is for that party to take a decision. So, his (Advani?s) choice is but natural? he said.