NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's decision to ask her members to abstain from the joint sitting of Parliament for passing the Prevention of Terrorism Bill has elicited calls within the Bharatiya Janata Party that the leadership should not tolerate her moves.
"Her party (Trinamool) returned to the National Democratic Alliance fold on its own after leaving it for its own reasons. We did not object. But there is a limit to such conduct because its harms the overall unity of the NDA," senior BJP leader Jagdish Prasad Mathur said.
"Although it is my personal opinion, I feel that Mamata should be told that the ruling alliance will not tolerate such whimsical behaviour," Mathur said.
Mamata said in Kolkata on Sunday that her party does not support the anti-terrorism Bill because it would be 'misused' by the West Bengal state government.
She had said that that if her party was opposing POCA in West Bengal, it had no business in supporting POT Bill.
"Every NDA constituent has its own share of pulls and pressures, but if the alliance is faced with a challenge, then it is the duty of every constituent to come to its rescue, the personal problems notwithstanding," BJP general secretary Pyarelal Khandelwal said.
He pointed out that this was vital for the unity of the alliance and would also prevent from opposition parties from trying to drive a wedge between a particular alliance partner and the NDA.
Senior BJP leaders, including the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan, have met Mamata in an effort to persuade her to vote for POT Bill in the joint session.
However, Mamata's contention that her party would stand by the NDA in case its survival was at stake has provided some BJP leaders that the Trinamool might, after all, vote in favour of POT Bill by attending the joint sitting of Parliament.
"Let us wait and see and not rush into any conclusions," Mahajan said.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
