less than two years into office, the BJP has received a pep talk from its allies who feel neglected
In a swift move, the BJP has reached out to its asserting allies with party president Amit Shah assuring them that the party was keen to follow the coalition dharma. The damage control exercise this week ahead of the crucial Budget session of Parliament has somewhat mollified the allies who were irked with the BJP’s ‘arrogant’ behaviour.
Although the party is not new to coalitions, the NDA of the 2014 is different from the NDA of the 1998. For the first time the BJP has come to power at the Centre on its own strength but held on to its allies, some of them small parties. It is nothing unusual for alliance partners to feel neglected at times. This happened with the NDA earlier. Even at the State-level, allies like the Shiv Sena feel sidelined. The UPA too had this problem with its junior partners.
The BJP has four major partners to contend with in the present dispensation. They are the Akali Dal (Punjab), Shiv Sena (Maharashtra), Peoples Democratic Party (Jammu & Kashmir) and Telugu Desam Party (Andhra Pradesh). The BJP is the junior partner in Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab ,while it has overtaken the Sena in Maharashtra. The PDP has been keeping the BJP waiting over Government formation in J&K after the Mufti’s death.
What is making the allies feel alienatedIJ The pre-Budget session meeting of the NDA partners called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, which was attended by Mr Amit Shah on Monday, gave a clear indication in this regard. While the PDP skipped the meeting, other leaders including TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Akali Dal leader and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal attended it. The meeting was primarily for better floor coordination to face the opposition onslaught during the ensuing Budget Session. The inclusion of the NDA allies at the parliamentary strategy meet shows that the Government needs their cooperation in showing a united face. In the earlier sessions, NDA allies had struck a few discordant notes on issues like the land acquisition Bill.
Why are the partners asserting themselvesIJ There is a context to this. After the Bihar defeat, the allies have become emboldened to speak out. While the BJP may not need their support in the lok Sabha, it needs them in the Rajya Sabha. Also, the major allies are directly trying to expand their own base while the BJP too has its own plans, which can only be at the cost of its allies. The younger leaders have emerged in all these parties and there is no Vajpayee or Advani to deal with them. Above all, the BJP has not opened individual channels with these allies.
In the NDA strategy meeting, the Shiv Sena, the Akali Dal and the Telugu Desam Party suggested that they be taken on board on important issues. Their major grouse was lack of communication.
Mr Badal bluntly conveyed to the BJP leadership that the party could no longer take allies for granted. The Akali-BJP relationship has been on the slide. The Punjab Assembly election is scheduled for the next year and a section in the BJP wants to go it alone, fearing anti-incumbency. While the Akali Dal gets the Sikh votes and holds sway in the rural areas, the BJP gets the Hindu andbania votes mostly in the urban areas. Punjab has been asking for a special package to overcome the financial crisis but the Centre has not accepted this demand.
The Shiv Sena, touted as a ‘natural partner’ and a long-time ally, not only fully endorsed Mr Badal but also added to the list of woes, pointing out that the BJP’s approach for the past 20 months had been to undermine its allies. Mr Sanjay Raut of the Sena is reported to have remarked caustically, “Sometimes, we have difficulty understanding whether or not this is our Government.” The Sena- BJP relationship has soured not only only at the national level but also at the State level. The two are trying to edge out each other and often indulge in public spats.
Mr Naidu also had similar complaints but he talked of bigger issues like the BJP strengthening its allies. Much is at stake for Mr Naidu as he needs a financial package for building his new capital in Amaravati.
Perhaps startled by the outbursts of allies, Mr Amit Shah has swung into action. He managed to do quick damage control and assure better coordination. The result is that the BJP has decided to create some mechanism by which there will be better coordination and its allies will be given detailed notes on the Government’s policy initiatives.