NEW DELHI, MARCH 13: The Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies would meet here tomorrow to finalise the national agenda for governance by a BJP-led coalition where AIADMK representatives can raise issues they would like the government to focus on especially regarding Tamil Nadu.The draft agenda which skips contentious issues like Ayodhya, Article 370 and Uniform Civil Code is likely to be approved at the meeting where allies of BJP may also want inclusion of issues they consider important to their states.
BJP sources said no breakthrough has been made in the deadlock with AIADMK over the letters of support from that party and its allies to a Vajpayee-led coalition.
They were not sure whether AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha who has been invited for tomorrow's meeting would attend it or send a representative.
The issues on which AIADMK has sought a firm commitment from prime ministerial candidate Atal Bihari Vajpayee include implementation of the interim award of the Cauvery water tribunal, nationalisationof all rivers, Constitutional amendment for 69 per cent reservation for backward classes, making Tamil an official language of the Indian Union and raising the height of Periyar dam in Kerala. Party sources, however, wonder how many of these issues could be included in the national agenda since some of them had all India repercussions and some of them interstate.
Meanwhile, the impasse in government formation created by the AIADMK's delay in handing over its letter of support to the BJP continued today, with the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit saying a breakthrough was yet to be achieved in the parleys between the two parties.
While BJP sources confirmed that the talks were still on, there was no word on this from the AIADMK. There seems to be no change in its stance that the support letter will be given only after the BJP gives the assurances it has sought.
A senior BJP state leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the talks would perhaps make AIADMK `see the reality' and help untangle thedeadlock.
However, a few other party functionaries claimed that theloacal party workers were of the view that if the AIADMK gave the support letter now, it should be rejected at this `late stage', considering the `humiliation' that was sought to be meted out to BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate A B Vajpayee.It would be better to sit in the opposition than ``beg and cajole' the AIADMK for support, they said.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
