The AIADMK’s silence notwithstanding, the BJP went a step further today to prepare the ground for an alliance. BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu has fixed up a meeting with AIADMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on January 28.Naidu refused to divulge the number of seats BJP may get in the deal. ‘‘It is like asking for the baby’s name before the parents’ marriage,’’ he said. The proposed alliance is likely to include Dalit Panthers and a new party to be launched by Arakkonam MP S. Jagathrakshakan.While a tie-up with the AIADMK is cooking, the alliance with Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) seems to be at breaking point. The BJP unit in Haryana has pitched for a break-up before the coming elections.Haryana BJP president Ganeshi Lal, accompanied by five Lok Sabha members from the state, including Union Minister of State for Home I.D.Swami, met Naidu last night and pleaded that the alliance be broken.‘‘They contended the BJP-graph is going up and they are ahead of all parties. They expressed their desire to contest on their own,’’ Naidu said. ‘‘I have heard their assessment. I am cross-checking everything. The central leadership will take the final decision.’’Relations between Chautala and the BJP’s leaders in Haryana have been strained from day one. ‘‘He promised us 35 of the 90 Assembly seats and gave us 29. To cap it, he fielded rebels against 15 BJP candidates to sabotage their prospects,’’ a party worker said. Once in power, Chautala launched a systematic campaign ‘‘to finish BJP’’. He targeted all party strongholds, including Faridabad, for demolition of encroachments. In the Assembly by-elections, he refused to leave the seats which were in the BJP quota. Several party leaders were slapped with inquiries and notices on various counts.‘‘People are disenchanted with the Chautala government. Our party leaders have been lathicharged while holding peaceful demonstrations. They have been implicated in false cases,’’ Lal said.There are many loose ends to be tied up in other states too. DPM L.K. Advani and Naidu have listed problem areas and will meet leaders of UP, Bihar, Gujarat and Jharkhand. Naidu will meet Haryana leaders on February 1 at Chandigarh.
