The alleged ineptness of the BJP State leadership in holding the National Democratic Alliance as a cohesive whole and the confusion created over a bid to woo the Kerala Congress (M) to the alliance before the Chengannur Assembly bypoll are learnt to have resonated at a core committee meeting held in Kollam on Tuesday.
Party sources told The Hindu here that lack of coordination among senior leaders as well as intra-party consultations before making crucial announcements figured at the meet held to discuss key organisational issues. The initiative taken by a section of leaders to invite the Kerala Congress (M) to the NDA fold was felt to have alienated the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), the principal ally of the BJP.
The BDJS was sore over the BJP national leadership’s delay in honouring the commitments made since the formation of the alliance and the latest move has further strained the relations.
BDJS leaders in Chengannur have expressed their intent to walk out of the alliance with the tacit support of the State leadership. If it supported either the LDF or the UDF, it would be a severe blow to the party as well as its candidate P.Sreedharan Pillai.
Senior leaders contradicting each other on crucial issues, especially on those pertaining to alliances and also on other public issues came up for review.
Invite to KC(M)
The invitation offered to the Kerala Congress (M) to join the NDA was felt to have given another opportunity to K.M. Mani to bargain with the rival fronts and turned the BDJS hostile.
The differing voices on various issues have given more weight to the BDJS argument that the BJP was unable to manage the alliance like the way CPI(M) was leading the LDF or the Congress running the UDF.
The onus on the alleged failure in taking forward the NDA together was reportedly put on the State leadership, which it denied, the sources said.
