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BJP confident of 'arm-twisting Jaya'

Rajesh Ramachandran in Delhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party's maverick Tamil ally All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham general secretary J Jayalalitha can be arm-twisted into submission, claims leaders of the saffron brigade.

Several factors -- a possible split in her party, a realignment of allies in Tamil Nadu, her rival M Karunanidhi's aides getting into the Central government to pursue cases against her with renewed vigour -- will force the AIADMK supremo to change her ways, BJP sources say.

At the official level, however, the party sings a different tune. Briefing the media today, BJP vice-president K L Sharma advised the allies against making media statements, running down each other. He said any differences could be settled at the proposed co-ordination committee. ''They could even approach Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee,'' he added.

Despite such fire-fighting efforts, the allies seem to be cut-up, and Union Commerce Minister Ramakrishna Hegde has directed one of his aides to take potshots at Jayalalitha and Janata Party president, Dr Subramanian Swamy.

Several other allies seem to have criticised the BJP leadership for not allowing them to air their views. They resent Home Minister Lal Kishinchand Advani's statements, chastising the sabre-rattling allies even as the Centre continued to appease Jayalalitha.

To bail out Jayalalitha, the Centre has ensured the appointment of several AIADMK men as its standing counsel -- most of the cases against the AIADMK supremo involve central agencies like the income tax and the Enforcement Directorate.

With such measures, the BJP hopes that Jayalalitha will toe the saffron line. ''If she still wants the moon, then the BJP has no alternative but to split the AIADMK,'' a source said.

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