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Kalam's plan to visit Gujarat rattles Sangh Parivar

President A P J Abdul Kalam's decision to make his first official visit to Gujarat has rattled hardliners in the Sangh Parivar who fear that he could cause the government acute embarrassment.

A senior Bharatiya Janata Party politician having strong links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh admitted that "disbelief" was still sinking in among constituents of the Parivar.

"It is his inclination to break protocol and act in an unorthodox way that we fear," the BJP leader explained. "We are surprised why he has chosen a state on which both national and international attention is focussed."

The politician said everyone connected with the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was keeping his fingers crossed. "The feeling is that he [Kalam] is not only proactive, but radioactive," he remarked.

A BJP Member of Parliament from Jharkhand pointed out that "tongues in the party have already started wagging" and that the full impact of the President's visit would be felt only after it takes place.

"It is not without reason," he pointed out, "that 42 NDA votes in the presidential election became invalid. [There are those] among us who had their reservations on his candidature. I hope [our apprehensions] are not justified."

The MP said Kalam's "unpredictable disposition" was fast becoming legend not only among members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance, but also in the opposition.

A home ministry source told rediff.com that the President's plan to meet intellectuals and politicians, among others, in Gujarat was what was giving BJP leaders a headache.

Kalam's decision to interact with persons and non-governmental organisations involved in the rehabilitation of riot victims has also touched a raw nerve in a section of the central government, he claimed.

Ever since the riots in Gujarat, the victims living in relief camps have complained of near starvation, lack of civic amenities, and paltry compensation. Most of the NGOs involved in relief work have corroborated the charge that it is the state government's negligence, wilful or otherwise, that is responsible for the subhuman condition of the refugees.

Significantly, when reporters sought a comment from Vajpayee on Kalam's proposed visit to Gujarat, he quipped, "It is news," and walked away.

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