NEW DELHI, 2 August 2004 — The Janata Dal-United, one of the important constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), yesterday threatened to severe ties with it if the BJP adopted the Hindu agenda.

As the BJP leadership contemplates a return to hard-core Hindu ideology at its Goa conclave, the JD-U has warned it will snap ties with the saffron party if it makes any such move.

During the two-day national executive meeting of the JD-U, the issue was hotly debated. Many members expressed unhappiness over the continuing alliance with the BJP, which they felt was moving back toward its earlier Hindutva agenda under pressure from the RSS.

“If they return to the old agenda (Hindutva), we will not be with them. There cannot be any two opinions on this,” senior JD-U leader Digvijay Singh told reporters.

Singh said his party would stand by secularism and oppose religious fundamentalism. Slogans based on religion had failed in the country, he added.

A political resolution was moved at the conclave, which stated that religious fundamentalism had no place in the country. Top party leaders George Fernandes, Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar participated in the meeting, which passed resolutions on dual power centers in the UPA regime, the issue of “tainted” ministers and the Punjab water-sharing row.

According to sources, several members felt the party had suffered in the parliamentary elections due to its alliance with the BJP, which was seen as “communal” party. Unless the JD-U severed its ties with the party, its own prospects would continue to suffer, they felt.

However, party spokesman Shiv Kumar on record denied there was any talk of snapping ties with the BJP. But he, too, hinted that the JD-U could part ways with BJP if it returned to Hindutva.

If the JD-U decided to walk out of NDA, it may cost the alliance dearly as the JD-U leader, Fernandes is the convener of NDA and he may prove to be harmful for the NDA.

However insiders say that the senior BJP leaders have already started convincing the JD-U leaders that the party will surely be taken into confidence before reaching to any conclusion.