BJP unhappy with SAD
The BJP has been perturbed over SAD's announcement declaring support to INLD's Harmohan Dhawan.
The BJP high command is understood to have taken serious view of a section of local unit of its ally Shiromani Akali Dal dragging its feet in openly supporting saffron party candidate from this parliamentary constituency.
Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, who had brief stopovers here enroute to addressing election meetings in Himachal Pradesh and Patiala, has voiced concern over the local SAD unit not openly declaring its support for BJP candidate Satya Pal Jain, party sources said here.
The top BJP leadership has been perturbed over Chandigarh SAD President Gurpratap Singh Riar's announcement here yesterday, declaring support to INLD's Harmohan Dhawan.
The party has also not taken kindly to Riar's statement in which he urged the electorate to vote for Dhawan as voting for him would mean voting for Vajpayee while voting for Jain would mean voting for Advani.
While as a damage control exercise to Riar's announcement, another faction of SAD today said they would support Jain, what is understood to be causing concern to the BJP is the studied silence of SAD supremo Parkash Singh Badal.
Badal has so far not made any open announcement declaring his party's support to BJP in Chandigarh, giving rise to speculation that he may not like to commit anything in public which would offend his close family friend Chautala.