Bogged down by growing differences among the alliance partners on key issues, the top leadership of the BJP has woken up to the idea of forming a coordination committee of allies to sort out differences on policy issues in Assam.
The differences in the ruling alliance started surfacing more visibly after the heavyweights of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) opposed the decision of the government to auction marginal oil fields. It continued further when AGP questioned the Central government’s intention of granting citizenship to Hindu refugees from Bangladesh in the Assembly.
In an obvious attempt to counter such confusion and discord among allies, the senior BJP leaders had convened its first review meeting since its government came to power in the state.
“We cannot afford to keep allowing differences among our government partners to be aired in public as it affects BJP’s image and prospects at the grassroots. In the meeting, the need for a coordination committee was felt. So, we have to request the government to have this mechanism in place,” said a senior party leader who was present in the meeting.
Both BJP and RSS had day-long meetings, at first separately and then between the top leaderships of both parties.
Senior RSS functionaries, Bhaiyyaji Joshi and Krishna Gopal, were also present in the meeting along with BJP national leaders. However, the RSS denied having any such meeting on functioning of the BJP government.
The in-charge of RSS publicity cell, Shankar Das Kalita, told reporters that the meeting with the Sangh leaders was on expediting the updating process for national register of citizens (NRC) and fencing of India-Bangladesh border.
It is significant that BJP has been talking about setting up a coordination committee since the formation of the government and in the review meeting, senior BJP leaders are said to have discussed the roadmap for having such a mechanism to bring in cohesiveness among the alliance partners.
