New Delhi, March 9 : BJD’s desertion of NDA is a big jolt to Advani & BJP. BJD’s desertion of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has given a body blow to BJP’s chances in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. BJP will realize the fact when its tally and those of its alliance partners in the NDA in the Lok Sabha goes down sharply.
The BJP may be amazed over the way BJD and its leadership tried to split from NDA.
The split was imminent as BJD may not be seen as someone patronizing the communal onslaught in the state by BJP and its sister concerns in the RSS.
Cracks appeared in the ruling Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance in Orissa over the Kandhamal issue.
Sparked by the murder of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati on August 23, 2008, anti-Christian violence swept through in Orissa during a bandh (strike) on August 25, 2008 and continued for almost two months.
Even today about thousands of Christians – mostly Dalits and a few tribals – languish in state-run relief camps and are afraid to return home due to continuing threats by Hindu extremists.
Maoist militants claimed responsibility for the swami’s murder, but rightwing Hindu groups blamed Christians and attacked Christians in 14 of 30 districts.
A Christian community leader says, “Of the 54,000 displaced Christians, about 24,000 victims were in 14 government relief camps until some camps were closed and victims asked to return to their villages.
However, due to ongoing threats of attacks and forced conversions, most victims fled to private relief camps in major cities of Orissa or bordering states. Many will never return home.”
According to the Christian Legal Association of India, over 1,800 complaints about crimes including arson, assault, and murder were collected in the last three months.
Aicc has assisted in collecting complaints from victims in relief camps. Lawyers made at least 800 of these into First Information Reports (FIRs) which are filed with police.
Hundreds, including a few Christians, were arrested but most released on bail. Fast track courts, promised by the state government, are not functioning yet.
Probably this was the reason that BJD was more eager to break the alliance with the BJP.
