As the Lokpal issue gripped the polity,the BJP leadership on Wednesday came under pressure from within to take a more strident stand on the Bill in favour of Anna Hazare and be more aggressive against the UPA government on the corruption plank. The voices of dissent came to the fore at the partys parliamentary party meeting,with senior leader Yashwant Sinha leading the charge. Sinha,sources said,told the meeting that he agreed with L K Advanis view that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should step down and go for fresh elections. He expressed willingness to even resign from the Lok Sabha and wage the battle. Further,he is said to have argued that the partys stand on the Lokpal Bill was unclear,which is hampering its fight against corruption and the UPA. Sinha wanted the BJP to come openly in support of Hazare and all those who are fighting against corruption. Adding to this was Varun Gandhis appearance at Ramlila Maidan where he said we should support Anna Hazares movement because it is this agitation which will shape the countrys future. Under pressure,the party,which initially expressed strong reservations about the governments Lokpal Bill and resolved to seek amendments in the Standing Committee,has now changed its stance and has demanded its total withdrawal. While party MPs Shatrughan Sinha and Uday Singh endorsed Sinhas views,several others including Hukumdev Narayan Yadav felt too much is being made out of the Hazare stir. The BJP re-caliberated its position after it felt Hazares campaign is getting huge support from the middle-class - the partys mainstay - and has caught the imagination of a considerable section of the population. Many of the MPs have been saying in private that the party has ceded the opposition space to civil society groups and was not gaining much from playing the role of a spectator.
