New Delhi, Aug. 23: The BJP may be thinking that the government will not be able to tide itself over the political crisis and that elections are the natural climax, but it is moving cautiously because of its deep-rooted suspicions about the Left’s intentions.

Soon after the reiteration by CPM general secretary Prakash Karat that the government should not go ahead with the nuclear deal come what may, BJP spokesperson Vijay Kumar Malhotra said: “Let them play out their cards. We still don’t know what they will do, how the government will respond.

“Withdrawal of support or not, they have robbed the government of its legitimacy.”

Malhotra refused to answer directly any queries on the main Opposition’s strategy in the current turmoil. “We will see,” was the stock reply to questions related to the possibility of a no-confidence motion being moved by the NDA.

The leadership fears that a pro-active role by the BJP may prompt the Left to go slow or even revise its strategy. The CPM has made it clear that it wants no coordinated strategy with the Opposition.

At the BJP parliamentary party meeting today, leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani said it was clear that this government would not be able to survive long and there was no question of completion of the full term. He asked party MPs and workers to prepare for election.

But what is significant is that Advani neither spelt out the party’s role in the present crisis nor spoke about a strategy to block the deal.

The BJP’s conduct in Parliament in the last few days is also not consistent with its strident anti-deal position.