Jayalalithaa - Modi meet may go beyond TN issues

The BJP’s attempts to reach out to non-NDA parties to get them to back the government in the Rajya Sabha for passage of crucial Bills in the coming months got a big boost when AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa deciding to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on June 3.

The decision comes barely four days after she skipped the swearing-in of Mr. Modi as Prime Minister citing the presence of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the event.

While an official statement in Chennai made it clear that Ms. Jayalalithaa’s visit was to take “very crucial issues relating to Tamil Nadu” to the Prime Minister’s attention through a memorandum, BJP sources were upbeat about the possibilities of a larger cooperation with the AIADMK.

          A BJP leader said that, Mr. Modi would certainly discuss the political situation post-elections with Ms. Jayalalithaa, given her high stature. The issue of cooperation in the Rajya Sabha where the NDA is way short of majority will likely be on the agenda.

Top Union Ministers in touch with Jayalalithaa:

Party Sources of AIADMK and BJP in Chennai said that, senior BJP leaders and Ministers in the Union Cabinet like Arun Jaitley and Ravishankar Prasad have been in touch with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in recent days.

When Ms. Jayalalithaa visits the capital next week to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she will have further discussion with these leaders. With only 64 of the 240 members in the Rajya Sabha (there are five vacancies), the BJP-led NDA government is short of a simple majority in the Upper House that is essential for passing of Bills. With the odds in the RS to remain stacked against the NDA in the foreseeable future, the government is looking for partnerships with regional parties though it has a clear a majority in the Lower House.

Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, who took charge recently, expressed the hope that all parties would cooperate in the Rajya Sabha.

          Interestingly, BJP has some problem in getting the support of Trinamool Congress but it is quite confident of getting the support of AIADMK, BJD and some other parties including JD(U) in the Rajya Sabha.