For BJP’s ‘sour’ allies, Amit Shah to act as gateway to Modi

NEW DELHI: After BJP allies asserted themselves before the Budget session of Parliament, complaining that they had to wait for weeks before their requests to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi were accepted, the party has been forced to take a call on the coordination mechanism right away. It has been decided that BJP chief Amit Shah will be the nodal person for communication between the regional allies and the Centre, including the PM.

From now on, allies will speak to Shah to convey their grievances, including immediate ones to be taken up in the Budget session, who will then apprise the central government, including the PM, it is learnt.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) functionary and Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Badal expressed unhappiness at a recent NDA meeting, saying access to the PM was much better when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in office. Badal is understood to have said that despite his father, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, being the senior-most chief minister in the country and old BJP ally, he was often unable to meet the PM.

SAD’s pique was shared by Shiv Sena with Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut believed to have said that NDA partners were at sea when it came to major national issues as they were often not briefed on developments.

The attack on the Pathankot airbase played out in the media for days and there was no effort from the government to take allies into confidence at a time when the charge of security lapses was being levelled.

Sena is understood to have made the point that when it was accused of siding with the opposition over the politically contentious land bill, its complaint was that the issues had not been discussed within the coalition.

BJP chief Amit Shah, who chaired the meeting, assured upset allies that their views would be given due importance and said the alliance would remain intact till the next general elections.

While allies crib that BJP has abandoned the idea of a coordination committee since it enjoys a majority in the Lok Sabha on its own, government managers feel the allies have also acted unilaterally.