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PM cautious about BJP plan to wrest power in TN

N Sathiya Moorthy in Tiruchi

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has sort of made a cautious approach on the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party's plans for 'seeking power by 2001', by repeatedly asking delegates at the fourth state-level meet in Tiruchi on Sunday to work for continued cooperation with the allies at the Centre.

"There is no contradiction between the state BJP's position, and the need for continuing the cooperation with the allies at the Centre," he said, addressing the delegates' meet. "It's a dual responsibility" and "they, in fact, complement each other," he said, repeatedly stressing the need for continued cooperation between the allies.

"I miss her spiritually, too," Vajpayee told the media, half-seriously, when asked about his 'missing' All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham chief J Jayalalitha 'physically' at the Tiruchi meet.

"He repeatedly defended the Centre's position on the 'special courts issue', saying, "Whatever was done was done after obtaining legal opinion" and there was no attempt to shield anyone.

"What's required will be done," he said, without explaining, when a reporter referred to the AIADMK's demand for changes in the 'pro-DMK' state BJP leadership.

However, Vajpayee was clear that Jayalalitha's absence did not mean that the stability of his government was threatened. "I was in Calcutta yesterday, but even there the local ally (Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamul Congress) was not present at the massive BJP rally," he pointed out.

Vajpayee shared the state BJP's views on the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu. "Inter-Services Intelligence-trained fundamentalists are at work, and the Centre will send additional security forces for the state, if needed," he said, reminding the questioner that 'law and order' was a state subject.

However, he refused to share the views of some state BJP leaders that Tamil Nadu Governor, Justice Fatima Beevi had links with Islamic fundamentalists. "I do not share that view," he said.

"The Congress is frustrated at sitting in the Opposition," he said, referring to the national scene at the delegates' meet. "We were in the Opposition for 40 years, but did not lose our patience."

Even after the Lok Sabha elections last year, he had told the President that his party did not have the majority to form a government, but ended up forming one only when K R Narayanan said other parties were not interested.

"We have nothing against the Congress forming a government. Let them face the elections whenever held, and win," he declared.

Both at the delegates' meet and at the media conference, the prime minister held the Congress "responsible for the continued killings in Bihar".

The Congress opposed the Centre's decision to impose President's rule in a state where the local government has continued to be 'inactive', he said, defending the post-dismissal massacres last month as only an 'aftermath'.

The prime minister said attempts were being made to divide the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes in the name of reservations. "We were not in power when the reservations notification was issued; the United Front was in power. The Supreme Court made certain observations, and interpretations may differ. There is a consensus on the issue, yet some political groups are bent on creating a problem," he said promising to 'pass a new law, amend the Constitution' to ensure reservations.

He described as 'baseless' allegations against the Prime Minister's Office in relation to the 'Admiral Bhagwat issue'.

"The proposed discussions in Parliament will clear the situation," he said. There were also no problems in expanding his Cabinet, and it will be done, when needed.

Vajpayee complimented the Tamil Nadu unit for organising the conference, and the women delegates for attending in large numbers. As the prime minister, and earlier speakers pointed out, 'half the participants, if not more, are women'.

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