Index Of Disunity

If Haryana CM O.P. Chautala had his way, he wouldn’t have parted ways with the NDA, particularly now when his INLD is wallowing in a trough of unpopularity. He badly needs the Vajpayee touch to bail him out. The BJP tolerated Chautala’s "high-handed and arrogant" ways for five years because, by itself, the party does not have much support in Haryana. But this week, when party chief Venkaiah Naidu made it clear at a rally that the BJP wouldn’t tie up with the inld, he was approving of a clamour from within the party’s state unit to go it alone. Meanwhile, an upbeat Congress has upped the ante by demanding immediate dissolution of the assembly. The Congress, which drew a blank in the last election, might bag a few seats this time.