BJP national spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad

Patna, June 22: The BJP today went on the back foot and appealed the JD(U) to support its nominee P.A. Sangma in the presidential poll, but the latter stepped out to launch a scathing attack on its alliance partner.

The JD(U) national general secretary, Shivanand Tiwary, gave a cold shoulder to the call of BJP national spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad to support Sangma instead of Pranab Mukherjee, dropping hint that the 16-year-old alliance of the two parties was at the brink.

The JD(U) spokesperson, Sanjay Singh, went a step ahead to express the party’s displeasure over its ally’s move to project Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate and asked the BJP ministers in the state to be within their limit.

The BJP’s central leadership was, however, busy all day trying to calm the nerves of its alliance partners, as Ravi Shankar said: “I fervently appeal to the JD(U) and Shiv Sena to support the BJP’s nominee (Sangma) over that of the Congress, responsible for the financial mess and mega-scams bleeding the country.

“A socialist and follower of Ram Manohar Lohia, Nitishji has always symbolised anti-Congress movement. We have worked together during the JP Movement against the Congress’s excesses,” he added.

Tiwary, instead of paying attention to Ravi Shankar’s appeal, lashed out at him.

“Had Ravi Shankar been the finance minister, he would not have done any better,” Tiwary said, adding that there should be a debate on whether the present economic policy was appropriate for the country or not. The JD(U), according to sources, rejected the BJP’s appeal for reconsideration on the presidential issue outright, arguing that the party had decided to support Mukherjee after its “best efforts” on a consensus failed to cut ice.

The developments involving Nitish’s demand for a “secular” prime ministerial candidate and the JD(U)’s support to the UPA’s presidential nominee, Pranab Mukherjee, have apparently sent the message to the cadres of both the camps to get into battle gear ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The conduct of the leaders and cadres in the BJP and the JD(U) camps today triggered posers on the longevity of the alliance in the state.

While Ravi Shankar was issuing the appeal, the cadres in the BJP’s demonstration he was leading against the alleged UPA-sponsored corruption and scams displayed placards having Modi’s pictures and shouted slogans in favour of the Gujarat chief minister.

Singh, the JD(U)’s state spokesperson, on the other hand, said: “The BJP ministers issuing statements against the chief minister should quit. They should stay within their limit if they have even a little respect for the coalition dharma.”

Singh was apparently referring to the animal and fish resources minister, Giriraj Singh, who skipped the last cabinet meeting and launched a verbal attack against Nitish.

He also attacked the state BJP chief, C.P. Thakur, for claiming that “the BJP would do better in case the alliance breaks”. “The BJP on its own should walk out of the alliance if its state chief feels the party has a better prospect without the JD(U)’s company,” he said. Earlier, the BJP cadres led by Ravi Shankar and Thakur met Governor Devanand Konwar and submitted a memorandum against the UPA’s policies.