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Time of reckoning for NC-BJP relationship

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

With both being mauled in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the National Conference are awaiting what turn their relationship will take at the central level, since it has already been soured in the state.

Although the NC has emerged as the largest single party in state, its chief Omar Abdullah had to bite the dust in his family's traditional Ganderbal constituency. Besides, the party's tally plummeted to 28 from 57 in 1996.

For the BJP, it was worse. The party got just a solitary seat, whereas its tally in 1996 was eight.

Both parties exchanged harsh words during the polls with Omar contending that the BJP would be virtually wiped out from the state.

The junior Abdullah also pointed out that by pressing ahead with the demand for trifurcation of the Jammu and Kashmir, the Sangh Parivar was playing a dangerous game and that the BJP and its ally, the Jammu State Morcha, would have to pay a heavy electoral price.

Omar told rediff.com: "If the people [of J&K] have rebuffed the BJP, they have good reasons for doing so."

But the BJP leadership appears to be unrepentant at the election results. Both party chief M Venkaiah Naidu and spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said they do not consider the demand for trifurcation anti-national, since it is within India.

Asked what would be the NC's relationship at the central level after the polls, Omar said he did not think that there would be any 'drastic development'.

But political analysts have emphasised the NC's alliance with the BJP might have cost the former dearly in terms of votes.

On their part too, the BJP leaders did not wish to speculate what turn the BJP-NC relationship would take.

"What's the hurry, we are already allies, why should anybody have any misgivings," the BJP chief said.

But political observers contended that despite the setback to both the NC and the BJP, the issue of the two severing relations was easier said than done.

For one, the NC leadership, chiefly former chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah and son Omar, would need the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government's backing if they had to fight the proposed J&K government of the Congress and the People's Democratic Party.

Secondly, the political observers also pointed out that even the proposed PDP-Congress government would have to keep the Centre in good humour since no state government can afford to consistently defy the central government.

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