BJP: Model Rakhi vs.Draupadi
Posted : August 21, 2009 at 8:49 pm [IST]
If media coverage can be an indication, BJP still attracts many for varied reasons. It is certainly not dynastic and at least for that reason, it is darling of many. Many wish it to grow strong enough as a better alternative to Congress as a rightist party.
Unfortunately, BJP is failing to find an Atal. Its leaders, both oldies and the younger ones, are failing. With a democratic party, the process of succession must get clearly defined. Many aspirants have grown out of the confusion created after Atal retracted in real retirement and Advani in hibernation. BJP as a party would have marketed the Atal’s decision in its advantage, and so it would have done for the differences of viewpoints among its leaders.
The delayed decision on Advani’s future role after the election further accentuated the confusion. Every rumour or news of the role of RSS complicates the image of BJP for moderate followers.
Jaswant though claims to be Hanuman, but couldn’t become immortal as Hanuman living in all ages. I got disenchanted after his opium culture and currency show off around the election time itself. Let him not become Ravana now and use his ten heads to keep on fighting BJP’s present leadership. His pointing finger to the old man no way helps him. Jaswant and others on his side must remain the good followers of Hanuman. However, let me confess I didn’t like the party’s action on Jaswant just for writing a book and having a different viewpoint on the history and its main players. None of them should be treated as faultless. The action appeared immature. I feel like agreeing with Sanghvi, when he questions, “Why should a BJP member writing about the partition of India be obliged to praise Sardar Patel, a lifelong Congressman? And why should a failure to do so be regarded as an unpardonable offence?” I shall also like to contribute in the betting amount of Rajdeep Sardesai for his bet: “none of the 20-odd members who comprise the BJP’s think-tank at the party’s chintan baithak has read the book cover to cover.” Interestingly, according to Rajdeep who claims to have gone through the bulky book on August 15, “had they read the fine print, they might have realised that the book is more a critique of the role of the Congress leadership during Partition, doesn’t eulogise Jinnah, nor does it castigate the BJP’s new posterboy Sardar Patel.”
I don’t know if the next leader will emerge at the ‘chintan baithak’ of BJP. But a younger person and consensually accepted person is badly needed to lead the party in next Mahabharata and the ongoing Indian marathon of elections.
Will BJP get someone strong and intelligent enough to lead and make it win the Mahabharata? BJP perhaps may not be as lucky as Rakhi (Sawant) to get one. It may have to be content as Draupadi with five masters under a strictly agreed code of conduct. It might have to find a Krishna too from its allied parties to win the next Mahabharata.
According to the media, the two main contenders to lead BJP after Advani are Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley. Unfortunately, both at 57 require a lot of image building to contest for the topmost position of this billion plus nation. Sushma may enjoy gender advantage, but Arun may have a better image in the important educated middle class of metros. However, Sushma is better as mass leader but she has to be more rustic. Why should they not take help from some hardcore professional consultants such as those who helped Obama? But who knows, the country can see even Narendar Modi leading the second most important national party as Arun Shourie had suggested during election heat. Left to me, I would have loved Sushma and Arun jointly leading BJP and score a win with their complimenting strengths.
But the party during its ‘chintan biathak’ must make its members agree for certain strict disciplinary norms that it badly requires to stop very frequent internal bickering damaging its image.
Let a multiple leadership at the top in BJP be the norm for future. The figure head as and when required must just be one of the equals.
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PS: As it happens, Jaswant is trying to prove Advani as bigger in sins. What will these revelations do or prove? According to Jaswant, he covered up for Advani on Kandahar, Advani stopped Vajpayee from acting against Modi. He had described the saffron organisation as “an open field where one gets to kick an ideological football everyday”.
What should BJP or Advani do? I suggest them to keep their mouths shut and not do any more harm to the party that has still a future. It only waits for a great leader to emerge. It will happen sooner than the people expect.
- Indra
Category: Indian politics |
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