US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Nehru moved BJP-wards after Kargil crisis erupted

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

Former Union minister Arun Nehru, who has been named the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, today visited the BJP central headquarters in New Delhi for talks with senior politicians.

General secretary K N Govindacharya told rediff.com that Nehru had been in touch with the BJP for the last two months, but the talks were kept secret so as to spring a surprise.

Though Nehru formally joined the BJP last week, the leadership did not think it wise to announce the event. "We are in touch with a number of senior leaders from our main opposition [the Congress]. We will give you another surprise in a couple of days," promised Govindacharya.

Nehru met BJP president Shashikant 'Kushabhau' Thakre and general secretaries Govindacharya and M Venkaiah Naidu and discussed with them the poll arrangements and matters relating to the filing of his nomination from Rae Bareli.

Nehru's candidature was announced at a crowded press conference yesterday by Venkaiah Naidu.

Barring a few, who had not kept abreast of developments, most of the assembled journalists were not surprised by the former internal security minister's move.

Ashwini Minha, resident editor in Delhi of Punjab Kesari, in which newspaper Nehru writes a political column, told rediff.com: "In the last two and a half months, his column had become heavily one-sided, with him singing the praises of the BJP government."

"After the Kargil crisis," said Minha, "his love for the BJP grew manifold and he told me the BJP would return to power with a thumping majority. So I was not surprised when the party announced his candidature for Rae Bareli. I am now wondering whether I should carry his column at all. He has used my paper to advance his political connections."

Nehru had kept a low profile for the last eight years, staying away from active politics after the death of cousin, former prime minister and one-time buddy Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

Senior Congressmen admit in private that his entry into the BJP is likely to translate into eight to 10 seats more for the ruling alliance.

Govindacharya also thinks Nehru's candidature will affect at least six to eight seats.

But he denied that Maneka Gandhi is likely to contest against Sonia Gandhi from Amethi. "There is no truth in this," he said. "We have a good candidate in Sanjay Singh who can give Sonia Gandhi a run for her money. We need not move Maneka Gandhi."

Govindacharya also denied that Maneka Gandhi is seeking a change of constituency from Pilibhit. But some other BJP officials insisted that she is not very keen to return to the constituency for which she has done precious little.

"The kind of problems she has been creating in the last few weeks, including hitting a government employee for not cooking food properly, gives enough indication that she does not want to stay there," said one party official who did not want to be identified.

Tell us what you think of this report