On criticism and coalition dharma

Interview with BJP president Jana Krishnamurthy.

Bharatiya Janata Party president Jana Krishnamurthy is faced with the difficult task of leading the party at a time when it is drifting along, bearing much of the blame for the perceived failures of the National Democratic Alliance government led by Atal Behari Vajpayee. Vajpayee's offer to resign, made at the meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party on July 31, left the party stunned. In this interview with V. Venkatesan, Jana Krishnamurthy defends Vajpayee and explains his stand on other issues facing the party and the government.

Was Vajpayee's offer to resign aimed at silencing dissent within the BJP?

Immediately after he made the offer, the NDA had a meeting. Every NDA member pressed Atalji not to resign. All of them pledged their support to him. Rather than affecting the NDA, the offer helped consolidate it.

But the offer was made at the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting.

It is a meeting where all BJP MPs are present. He could not have announced his intention to resign in any other forum. It did come as a surprise to the party. On such matters one is not expected to consult others. He did so after his personal assessment of the situation. Nothing had happened in the BJP that could have even remotely influenced his decision. The Prime Minister was present at the meeting of the party's National Executive (held in New Delhi between July 27 and 29). He went through every resolution and there was nothing in any resolution criticising him for any stand of his. The party had played its role, which he had himself stated in our Bangalore meeting.

I would consider Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Nirupam's attack in the Rajya Sabha as the main reason for his offer to quit. The reason he had stated was that he was unable to carry the NDA partners with him. It was a well-thought-out exercise. His remark that he wanted to quit because he was not keeping good health was a satirical comment. We believe he is in good health.

He is also apparently annoyed with the letter written to him by BJP National Executive member Shatrughan Sinha.

Sinha has not owned up the letter, which has appeared in a section of the press. So I can't comment on it.

At the National Executive meeting Home Minister L.K. Advani spoke about the Opposition mind-set within the BJP.

What he said was meant for the NDA partners also. The art of governance is altogether different. He is not against healthy criticism. Let there be positive thinking behind any criticism. The critics can suggest alternatives. We should have the mind-set of a ruling party.

Is the Prime Minister unhappy with the way in which some of the allies are enjoying the fruits of power and at the same time wanting to occupy the opposition space?

We feel that if any of us has a view on any decision of the government, it can be placed either at the Cabinet meeting or at the NDA meeting. That is coalition dharma. Using Parliament for openly criticising the government does not go with coalition dharma. The NDA partners have accepted this, and a committee of senior members is drawing up norms for the NDA's consideration. Every cosntituent of the coalition has promised full cooperation and agreed to abide by the norms.

Will the BJP and the Shiv Sena sever their ties?

I don't expect any break. If the Sena has reservations about the BJP in Maharashtra, the BJP too has reservations about the Sena. But we will get along with each other. Even earlier Bal Thackeray has expressed his strong views on many matters. I am not surprised by his latest remarks.

Is Thackeray hurt because the BJP did not cooperate with the Sena in toppling the Congress(I)-NCP coalition government in Maharashtra?

The BJP does not believe in toppling any government. We do not manoeuvre for it. If any alliance breaks on its own the BJP takes notice of it. If we had such a thing in mind, we could have ensured that our government did not fall in 1998 by one vote (at the Centre). We decided to face elections rather than engineer defections.

The sacking of Naresh Agarwal from the U.P. Cabinet has created fresh tension between the BJP and the Loktantrik Congress Party, which is a part of the NDA.

It won't have any impact on the stability of our government in U.P. Besides, the entire Loktantrik Congress is not with Agarwal. U.P. Chief Minister Rajnath Singh took the decision only after consulting us and considering various aspects.

In broad terms, what should be the norms governing the conduct of NDA constituents?

I would rather leave it to the committee entrusted with the task of drawing up the norms. We will offer our suggestions when its recommendations come up for discussion at the NDA meeting. Broadly, if any of the NDA constituents wants to say anything, it should use the forums available. The NDA should be utilised. If there is a Cabinet representative, any particular measure can be placed in the Cabinet meeting. Any member who has any reservation about any decision can directly approach the Prime Minister.

In parliamentary democracy, the Cabinet enjoys joint responsibility. No individual MP can have his say. Every constituent of the NDA has its own parliamentary party. It is not expected of any MP to rip anyone below the belt. No MP can claim the right to act in an independent manner outside the party limits even in Parliament. If he has evidence about any allegation, let him approach the Prime Minister and provide the evidence before him. When that is not done, there is room for suspecting the MP's motives. One motive may have been to hurt the Prime Minister personally.

But Sanjay Nirupam claims he spoke only after his party boss authorised him.

Maybe, I don't know.

Do you consider Sanjay Nirupam's apology sufficient?

His future conduct will prove whether the apology was made genuinely or to get out of a difficult situation.

At the BJP National Executive meeting, you proposed that allies who had left the NDA should not be permitted to return at will. It has apparently not found favour within the NDA. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) is now back in the NDA, while the Trinamul Congress is on the verge of being readmitted.

My proposal was not with regard to any particular party. I generally suggested the need to evolve certain norms for the entry or return of any party into the NDA. When the PMK MPs met me, I made it clear to them that I was not against their return. Left to me, I would say that entry into the NDA should not automatically mean entry into the Cabinet. This is only a suggestion for the NDA. Whatever the NDA decides will be accepted.

Will the committee evolve norms for the return of those who had left the NDA earlier?

Yes. The PMK attended the NDA meeting before it was decided to set up the committee. The PMK attended the meeting because it was invited.

Does it mean the Trinamul Congress will have to wait until the norms are finalised?

Naturally. Every NDA constituent will say, 'let us wait for the norms'. Once the norms are finalised all the parties will be bound by them.

Is there any dissent within the BJP over the outcome of the Agra Summit?

We feel that Pakistan President General Musharraf should not have been allowed to abuse our hospitality by writing a letter to the Hurriyat (All Parties Hurriyat Conference), and then converting the informal breakfast meeting with Indian editors into a press conference. But I would not say there was any lapse on our part. We wanted to keep diplomatic norms, we never expected him to misuse our hospitality. The Agra Summit brought out the soldier in Musharraf and the statesman in Vajpayee.

Did the government bungle in tackling the Unit Trust of India issue?

The parties that accused the Finance Minister of wrongdoing and demanded his resignation did not extend the basic courtesy of allowing him to place his views in Parliament. Such intolerance by the Opposition on such a vital issue is a matter of great concern.