The crux of the problem in identifying a spokesperson for the 18-member coalition lies in this anxiety of the BJP to keep well away from the messy business of alliance politics.

From the inception of the Vajpayee Government, BJP leaders have been at pains to differentiate between the Government and the party. Now, with Thakre declaring that those in the Government will not hold party positions, the dichotomy between the two is bound toincrease.

Perhaps it is this reluctance of the BJP to own up its involvement in the Government that is at the root of Vajpayee's seeming indecisiveness in appointing a spokesperson for his coalition. The United Front had Jaipal Reddy. Narasimha Rao used a variety of people to speak on his behalf, from the official spokesman of the Government to his Information Advisor P V R K Prasad to his Principal Secretary A N Verma.

Although Vajpayee's political advisor Pramod Mahajan was widely expected to fulfill this role, he has preferred to keep a low profile and stay away from the press. He has addressed just one press conference till date, to announce Buta Singh's sacking from the Union Cabinet.

The gap between the party and the Government was underlined in the past fortnight. The escalating crisis in the coalition saw the phenomenon of the party refusing to speak out on behalf of the Government and the Government hiding itself behind a wall of silence.

Queries to president-elect Thakre or senior vicepresident Sunder Singh Bhandari or any other party functionary on the ongoing verbal duel between ministers were invariably met with a curt response to ask the PMO. And the PMO was never available for comment. After Thakre's unseemly tiff with correspondents yesterday, the party appears to have been galvanised to do some damage control, at least until a formal mechanism for information is put into place.

Now the dilemma confronting the Government is who to appoint in this crucial role. Given the kind of turf wars and inner bickerings between partners, it has to be a person who has the felicity to convince the world at large that these are insignificant problems.

At the same time, the spokesperson will have to strike an even balance between the demands of a coalition government and the strait-jacketed ideals of a cadre-based party like the BJP. For Vajpayee, who is keen that he alone does not carry the can for his unwieldy alliance, it is a tough decision.