The BJP’s internal pulls and pressures show no signs of abating despite L K Advani’s pleas for discipline, with many leaders now taking offence at “being overlooked as party’s lead speakers” during various debates.

Till late on Wednesday, the party brass including the Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, was fervently hoping that Yashwant Sinha would speak on the Union Budget. However, Sinha, a former Union finance minister and one of the party’s most articulate voices on business and economy, is miffed at not being chosen as the lead speaker on the Budget.

That privilege has gone to former Union minister Murli Manohar Joshi, who counts Swadeshi economics as one of his strengths. In the Rajya Sabha, it will be M Venkaiah Naidu who will initiate the discussion on the Budget on the party’s behalf.

Sinha, who has stayed away quite often from the House this session, made a brief intervention on Wednesday, seeking an explanation from the Government on the “leakage” of the Budget in Jharkhand, which is under President’s Rule. He got a prompt response from Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who promised to look into the issue.

Even the Rail Budget proved a tough balancing act for the BJP. While Leader of Opposition in the House Arun Jaitley initiated the discussion in the Rajya Sabha, Ananth Kumar got the honours in the Lower House. This miffed Shahnawaz Hussain — who had initiated the discussion on Lalu Prasad Yadav’s interim Rail Budget — and he chose not to speak at all, preferring to table his speech on Wednesday.

... contd.