Kalam: On radar again

New Delhi, Sept. 22: The BJP is back to wooing A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the darling of urban middle-class voters, months after disowning him over his pro-nuclear deal stand.

The party now wants to milk the former President’s “liberal Muslim” image to strengthen its anti-terror campaign without putting off Muslims too much.

L.K. Advani has written to Kalam requesting him to “lead” an “initiative” against terrorism and assured him full co-operation from the National Democratic Alliance.

The BJP had dropped Kalam like a hot potato after his advocacy of the Indo-US nuclear deal. It had not only underscored its differences with the technocrat on the subject, but had accused him of changing his mind midway.

Kalam’s argument that the deal was good for India had set off political tremors within the BJP, with senior leaders privately agreeing it would now be difficult for them to oppose the 123 Agreement. Kalam, after all, was the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government’s scientific adviser and Pokhran II mascot. But the party overcame its initial nervousness and stuck to its position.

Kalam has issued a statement on the gravity of the terror threat after the Delhi blasts, but what matters more to the BJP is his Muslim identity. By drafting Kalam, the BJP wants to buttress its claim that it is not against all Muslims and does not equate terrorism with the community.

Advani’s letter said: “I feel that a person of your eminence can help in elevating the discourse on terrorism to a level where it can be discussed as a national problem requiring broad national consensus unimpaired by narrow electoral considerations.”

Advani also used Kalam to attack his political rivals, saying: “Like you and millions of ordinary citizens in the country, I am extremely concerned that an issue of such national and global importance is being ignored by a section of the political class. Therefore, your statement has come as a great relief. It holds out a hope for building a national consensus for initiating effective measures, including stringent laws, against terror.”

He added: “My intention in writing this letter is to request you to lead this initiative in a manner you deem fit.”