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CMs' meet: PMO worried despite Naidu's assurances

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The undercurrent of tension in the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Telugu Desam Party-sponsored chief ministers' meet in New Delhi on Monday remains despite statements to the contrary by the Prime Minister's Office. The chief ministers will discuss certain aspects of the Eleventh Finance Commission's recommendations.

"The very fact that the states, led by Andhra Pradesh, are talking about getting justice for their economic performance from the Centre implies that they have been erred against. Its political overtones are unmistakable and we are worried," a senior BJP vice-president told rediff.com.

He indicated that it was only Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 'warning' that convinced Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel to avoid the meet and send the state's finance secretary instead.

The PMO on Sunday ruled out any 'political meaning' to the TDP-sponsored meet convened by Naidu. PMO officials argued that the meeting is against the finance panel's report and not the Union government.

The BJP's nagging worry over the meeting was reflected in Prime Minister Vajpayee's 'counsel' to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu that it would be better if he did not go ahead with the meeting on Monday.

TDP Member of Parliament Yerran Naidu echoing his party chief's views said, "Nobody should attach any political meaning to this meeting. It is to discuss economic issues. We feel aggrieved because our state has not lagged behind in economic performance."

BJP spokesman M Venkaiah Naidu was dismissive of any political fallout from Monday's meeting. "The prime minister has already been assured by Naidu that the meeting has nothing to do with politics."

The BJP-led government's concern revolves around the fact that its allies, like the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punjab), Indian National Lok Dal (Haryana) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (Tamil Nadu), will be attending the meeting.

A veteran BJP MP from Bihar pointed out that the party is concerned as the meeting could cause problems for the stability of the Vajpayee government.

According to BJP sources, the National Democratic Alliance allies sharing common ground with opposition parties, like the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), 'does not augur well for us as one thing is bound to lead to another and the issue might snowball into a major controversy'.

The sources said the issue could have been sorted out within the NDA itself as Vajpayee suggested to Naidu. But the latter was adamant about going ahead with the meeting.

Incidentally, even the Congress is not very comfortable with the idea of its chief ministers' participation in the meeting. The party too does not relish the idea of its representatives co-operating with their rivals in the NDA on Centre-state relations.

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