NEW DELHI, 18 August 2003 — With battle lines becoming sharper and clearer ahead of stormy parliamentary scenes and electoral campaigns, yesterday proved to be a bright day for the Bharatiya Janata Party in several areas. Against the “unity” projected in the NDA and its own party camp, BJP was delighted by cracks appearing in the Congress party.
After putting NDA in a difficult spot by objecting to its decision to seek its rival AIADMK’s support, DMK decided to vote against the Congress sponsored no-trust motion against the Vajpayee government in the Lok Sabha. The preceding day, DMK had sent jitters to the NDA by saying that it would announce its decision only after consulting senior party leaders.
Breaking the suspense yesterday, DMK President M. Karunanidhi told the press in Tiruchirappali (Tamil Nadu): “The DMK is very much in the NDA lineup and how could one expect the party to oppose the NDA government.” Asserting that the party had no objections to even AIADMK supporting the Vajpayee government, he said: “We will not play childishly on the issue.”
DMK retains its opposition to BJP’s plans regarding construction of a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya and a ban on cow slaughter. If NDA moves any legislation for the purpose, DMK would not support it and refrain from going along with the BJP and the NDA on these issues, Karunanidhi said.
DMK’s assurance signals BJP’s success in holding the coalition together to confront the challenge posed by the Congress through the no-trust motion moved against the Vajpayee government. This is the 26th no-trust motion moved since the Lok Sabha was formed and the first faced by Vajpayee. This is the first no-trust motion to be moved in a decade’s time.
The BJP also displayed positive signs of holding its own camp together to unseat the Congress in the Delhi assembly elections. To highlight the Congress government’s shortcomings, the BJP launched a 35-day Parivartan Rath Yatra (Chariot Procession for Change). The rally was led by BJP’s Delhi unit chief Madan Lal Khurana. What stood out was the presence of Khurana’s old rival Labor Minister Sahib Singh Verma at the function.
