A day ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, the BJP sought to derail the Congress’ strategy by mounting a two-pronged offensive.
The first part of the party’s new strategy is focused on turning the tables on the Congress by unearthing corruption scandals involving its leaders while the second part entails shattering Opposition unity around Lalitgate and Vyapam scandals.
This is in addition to the already thought of plan to totally reject the Congress’ demand for the resignation of Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for allegedly according undue favours to controversial businessman Lalit Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the Vyapam scam. Sushma Swaraj had offered to make a statement in the House about the allegations surrounding her assistance in providing travel documents to Lalit Modi. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy indicated on Monday that the Foreign Minister would indeed be making a statement in the House to this effect.
Going regional The second part of the BJP strategy is to reach out to regional parties in the opposition.
At an all-party meeting convened by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the reluctance of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party to join the Congress chorus to sack Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Rajeand Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was evident. Even the Left parties did not seem to be too enthusiastic in supporting the Congress in its resolve that Parliament will be disrupted till Swaraj, Raje and Chouhan resign.
While it is working to soften up opposition parties, the BJP is simultaneously busy setting its own house in order. The Prime Minister called a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance on Monday evening, for the first time in 14 months. The allies, miffed by the BJP’s neglect in the past, were quick to point out that their dominant partner has reached out only because it needs them in countering a resurgent opposition.
“We are happy that 14 months after government formation, the Prime Minister has called a meeting of the NDA,” said Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rout. He reminded the BJP that when Atal Behari Vajpayee was Prime Minister, there were “regular discussions” among NDA partners. Rout also revealed that the NDA partners had not been consulted on the strategy with regard to BJP leaders under opposition attack. “It would have been better had the allies been consulted,” he said.
Another ally, Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party also said that the NDA needs to work on a “joint plan to counter the opposition charges”.