Monday, February 21 2005 20:30 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) today (Feb 21, 2005) said cracks have already appeared in UPA (United Progressive Alliance) in Bihar and Jharkhand which will have "far-reaching consequences" for national politics after the Assembly poll.

"The relations among UPA allies in Bihar and Jharkhand have already touched a new low with the RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Congress and LJP (Lok Janshakti Party) fighting the Assembly elections against each other," BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) general secretary Arun Jaitley told a press conference in Patna.

Stating that ideological differences between the Congress and Left parties have already come to the fore on economic issues, he said, "Everybody knows that a broken mirror can't be joined and the election results will definitely have far-reaching consequences for national politics."

He was responding to a query as to whether the poll results in the two States would lead to new political alignments at the Centre.

Referring to the exit-polls projecting a fragmented verdict in Bihar, Jaitley said, "A hung Assembly will be dangerous and detrimental to the growth of the State as people having criminal antecedents would have a role in Government formation and thus the functioning of the State Government."

He, however, felt people would give a decisive mandate to the NDA to free the State from the "terror raj".

Referring to the Congress president Sonia Gandhi's statement on formation of a secular Government on which her party would exert moral pressure to tackle law and order and end backwardness, Jaitley said, "This indicates that she would gang up with other UPA allies to pave the way for return of the RJD misrule."

Claiming that there was groundswell of the people's anger against the RJD Government, Jaitley said though BJP had even before the start of the election process "sensed the anti-incumbency mood of the people, but it was not aware of its magnitude."

"Now an anti-incumbency wave is sweeping through the State and the RJD Government is on its way out," he said.

"Apart from misgovernance, people are also angry with the RJD because of the fact that a large section of people (upper caste) have been kept away from the power structure during the past 15 years," he claimed.

Hailing the decision of the Siwan district collector C K Anil externing controversial RJD Lok Sabha member Shahabuddin from the district, Jaitley said, "it has been proved beyond doubt that the situation can be brought under control provided the administration is honest and unbiased."

On BJP leader Uma Bharti's reported statement that BJP would get deputy Chief Minister's post if NDA came to power, Jaitley said, "Nitish Kumar is our obvious and natural choice for the CM's post but no decision has yet been taken on who would be his deputy."