The Hindu – Modi’s strategy: a new NDA minus Nitish

Darshan Desai

Days after making a political point by having a range of regional leaders attend his swearing-in, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi once again reached for a larger national profile by being the only chief minister to speak on national affairs at the NDC meeting on Friday.

Recent praise from union minister Praful Patel of the Nationalist Congress Party, a UPA partner, has only helped Modi.

In Mumbai on December 28, Patel said: “Modi was successful in gaining trust of the people. Modi won because of the work he has done,” Praful Patel said.

At the NDC meeting, Modi held forth on “policy paralysis and lack of leadership” at the Centre. He said the world was looking at India for development but the country was pessimistic, even as he presented Gujarat as a model of growth.

Sources said Modi’s gameplan is to create an NDA minus the sulking partner Janata Dal-United and its Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Besides Jayalalithaa of the AIADMK, Om Prakash Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal, Ramdas Athawale of Republican Party of India and Raj Thackeray of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena attended his swearing-in — none of them is an NDA partner at the moment.

Overtures are also being made to Patnaik of the Biju Janata Dal and Asom Gana Parishad, who are former NDA allies.

The Shiromani Akali Dal is still with the NDA and so are Shiv Sena, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and other smaller parties.

Modi simply ignored Nitish Kumar at the NDC meeting, held just a day after his glittering swearing-in event that the JD-U boycotted. He went around greeting everyone including Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, and congratulated Congress veteran Virbhadra Singh for his huge victory in the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections.

When mediapersons asked him if he would not meet Nitish pointing to where he was sitting, Modi only thanked them for drawing his attention.

Praful Patel’s statement here is significant despite the fact that the NCP did not attend Modi’s swearing-in though concerted efforts were made to get veteran leader Sharad Pawar there. Addressing party workers in Mumbai, Patel asserted, “In Gujarat, we had a tie-up with Congress to avoid division of secular votes. However, the Congress put up candidates in all the seats NCP contested. A review should be done to find out who is responsible for the defeat in Gujarat.

NCP had contested nine seats in the Assembly elections and its candidates won in two constituencies.

“Ideologically, we are with Congress and will continue to be with them. But there is nothing wrong with thinking about our growth,” he said.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/modis-strategy-a-new-nda-minus-nitish/article4256404.ece

The Asian Age – Differences in NDA, decision on president’s poll deferred

New Delhi, 17 June 2012. Strong reservations from key ally JD(U) over pitting a candidate against UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday forced the NDA to defer its decision on the presidential election.

At a two-hour inconclusive meeting of the NDA, the JD-U is believed to have disavoured a fight against Mukherjee because of his stature but BJP is said to have been keen on backing former Speaker P.A. Sangma, who has been propped up by BJD and AIADMK with an eye on the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

After the meeting at BJP leader L K Advani’s residence, from which BJP’s oldest ideological ally Shiv Sena kept away, NDA convener Sharad Yadav merely said more discussions were needed to arrive at a right decision.

“The NDA meeting took place today. Various leaders put forth their views in detail. More discussions are required in this regard to arrive at the right decision.”

“L.K. Advani will talk to chief ministers of NDA-ruled states and all others. NDA will meet sometime later again to take a decision in this regard. Those outside (Delhi) will also be consulted,” Tadav told reporters after the meeting.

The JD(U), which shares power with BJP in Bihar, was clear that there is no strong purpose served by contesting against Mukherjee, a tall leader with vast experience in government and Parliament, and more so when the UPA has a clear edge in the electoral college.

However, BJP leaders including Advani and Sushma Swaraj are understood to have argued that Mukherjee should not go uncontested, especially in view of the Lok Sabha polls due two years hence.

The BJP is said to be keen on supporting Sangma so that the alliance could rope in parties like BJD and AIADMK that could be valuable in thenext Lok Sabha elections. (PTI)

http://www.asianage.com/india/differences-nda-decision-prez-poll-deferred-987