by
Girish Nikam
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A few months back, a senior BJP leader also an MP, who has been responsible for the wins and losses of a few States, more wins actually, was distraught about the state of affairs in his party. Discussing informally with this columnist about it, he pointed out that one of the major challenges faced by the party was the question of leadership. A fact, he stressed, everyone and his aunt knew about. But sadly, he said, the two people who need to know about it just refuse to admit it. One does not need to be a very canny observer of politics to know whom he was referring to!

The leadership problem, he correctly analysed, was due to the unacceptability of any one of the second generation of leaders, by the others, which he candidly confessed included himself. But he of course saw some ray of light, albeit a controversial one. But more than the leadership problem, he felt, was the lack of ideological or programmatic focus of the party, which he agreed was bungling from one issue to another, without having been able to make any impact, ever since the defeat of 2004.

So how do we bring the BJP back on the rails, was a question he and his party colleagues had to answer and answer pretty quickly, if they did not want their cadre to get completely de-moralised, and then start deserting the party.
Going by the tone and tenor of the BJP’s agenda in the run up to the winter session of the Parliament, it is evident, that the party has not been able to come up with any new formula or agenda. It is not even the classic old wine in a new bottle. It is old wine in an older bottle.

Before looking at this tired old issues being rehashed by a tired old party, there is some hope emerging for it from Uttar Pradesh, a State that had been under its hold completely once. The recent results of the Mayoral elections there has to some extent buoyed the party leadership, to the extent of deluding itself to believe that the party is now on the rise again.

So what is the “new” plan of action of the BJP? Going by the agenda set forth for the winter session, it is obvious that they have decided to revert to their old pro-Hindu, anti-Muslim, nationalistic agenda. So now they want Mohammed Afzal to hang without any delay, they want India not to talk to Pakistan as they think the time is not ripe and they don’t want the Justice Rajinder Sachar committee report to be even discussed.

What is quite amazing is that in the case of Mohd.Afzal, a political party, which has run a Government for over six years at the Centre, takes to the streets demanding his execution, as if he is enemy Number 1 of the country. It is obvious that the enthusiasm shown by the BJP is in tune with its pro-Hindu, anti-Muslim image, which it wants to revive, hoping that it would be able to revitalize its Hindu vote base.

How else can one look at this amazing step, especially when the same party when it was in Government, had recommended remission of sentence to five Latvian nationals, who all had been convicted in the Purulia arms drop case, which was essentially a case of waging war against India.

Again, during all its years in the Government or even before it, the party had never taken to the streets demanding the execution of the assassins of Rajiv Gandhi, whose mercy petitions still lie pending before the President. It did not even decide not to grant mercy. Even in the case of Kehar Singh, the assassin of Indira Gandhi, the party did not think it fit to demand his execution when his mercy petition was pending.

Now as if these typical acts of hypocrisy and double standards are not enough, the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee climbs the high dais and opposes the talks between India and Pakistan.

Why? He thinks the atmosphere is not conducive! Why? Because of Malegoan and Bombay Train blasts. Was it conducive when he himself took the initiative to hold peace talks with Gen.Pervez Musharaff after the Kargil War and after many attacks on the Indian soil, including Parliament, in which according to his own party, ISI was involved! So how was that situation different from today?

Again the agenda is clear: oppose anything connected to Muslims and Pakistan and fan communal passions.

Now, coming to Sachar committee report. Obviously any sympathy, which may arise in favour of Muslims, may upset its agenda, and therefore the best way out is to undermine and ridicule the report itself.

None of these tracks are anything new. This party has been known to indulge in such tactics ever since its formation. Problem was when it formed the NDA and came to power in 1998, it had no option but to give up these divisive issues, at least on the face of it. And now that it feels that it is left with no options, with expert advice coming in from Nagpur and Jhandewalan from its ideological guru, the RSS, the mask is off and it is back to its old ways.

In any case, communal passions have been kept alive in Gujarat . They have been successfully fanned in Karnataka and now they hope that in Uttar Pradesh, with the tacit and diabolic support of their chief bete noire, Mulayam Singh Yadav it will be revived.

And coming back to the leadership issue raised by the BJP leader mentioned above, who else can lead the party with such an agenda better than their chief communalist, Narendra Modi. In fact the above-mentioned leader made no bones about it when he said, “Who else can capture the imagination of our cadres better?”

So there you are. Once wanting to be known as a party with a difference, which later turned out to be a party with differences, now the BJP is back to its “different” ways.

The big question however is, will the people again respond to the old divisive saffron ways?

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27-11-2006