07-24-2008, 09:48 PM
From The Telegraph, 24 july 2008
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Sangh whiplash for BJPÂ
SANJAY K. JHA
Â
New Delhi, July 23: The RSS leadership is learnt to have conveyed to the BJP that the party had âshoddily planned and executedâ its response to the trial of strength in the Lok Sabha, sources said.
The BJP has also been told by the Sangh that it does not share the partyâs perception that the Congress was the loser at the end of the day.
The RSS has expressed displeasure over the involvement of so many BJP MPs in cross-voting and abstention. The Sangh also felt that the involvement of BJP leaders in the unseemly currency spectacle inside the House would not go down well with the people.
Extremely guarded, BJP leaders said the RSS message was conveyed at âthe highest levelâ but declined to name anyone. âApart from the political fallout of the Congress victory, what has annoyed the RSS is the regular occurrence of financial scandals involving BJP members. Though no swayamsevak is involved now, the larger question of the partyâs image is definitely involved,â a party leader said.
The BJP is insisting that the events surrounding the trust vote and the victory had ruined the Prime Ministerâs image. But the RSS thinks that the BJPâs credentials as âa party with a differenceâ lay in tatters after the vote.
âAll the talk of a cadre-based and disciplined party sounds hollow as such scandals involving BJP leaders crop up every now and then,â a party leader associated with the RSS said.
The RSS believes that the BJP, reluctant initially to oppose the nuclear deal, was confused in the beginning and woke up late with plans to topple the government.
It also feels that the BJP parliamentary party, which should have ensured that all its MPs were intact, took matters for granted and focused on media bluster, instead of guarding its flanks. âThat so many MPs broke away indicates that the BJP leaders were most purchasable,â an RSS source said.
The RSS is also upset because of the political loss suffered by the BJP. A section of the party leadership was trying to woo BSP leader Mayavati till a few days ago but she has now emerged as the most potent face of the third front. The Congress, on the other hand, has bagged a valuable catch in Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The sources said the BJPâs desperation to salvage some face by announcing a countrywide agitation came after the RSS expressed its displeasure.
The Sangh is also worried about the implications of an aggressive propaganda by the Congress on the nuclear deal. The Congress is presenting the deal as a case of Indiaâs empowerment, which challenges the Sangh parivarâs plank of robust nationalism.
A view that the BJP should not have stood alongside communists also worries the RSS leadership.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Could be a bit of psy-ops.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Sangh whiplash for BJPÂ
SANJAY K. JHA
Â
New Delhi, July 23: The RSS leadership is learnt to have conveyed to the BJP that the party had âshoddily planned and executedâ its response to the trial of strength in the Lok Sabha, sources said.
The BJP has also been told by the Sangh that it does not share the partyâs perception that the Congress was the loser at the end of the day.
The RSS has expressed displeasure over the involvement of so many BJP MPs in cross-voting and abstention. The Sangh also felt that the involvement of BJP leaders in the unseemly currency spectacle inside the House would not go down well with the people.
Extremely guarded, BJP leaders said the RSS message was conveyed at âthe highest levelâ but declined to name anyone. âApart from the political fallout of the Congress victory, what has annoyed the RSS is the regular occurrence of financial scandals involving BJP members. Though no swayamsevak is involved now, the larger question of the partyâs image is definitely involved,â a party leader said.
The BJP is insisting that the events surrounding the trust vote and the victory had ruined the Prime Ministerâs image. But the RSS thinks that the BJPâs credentials as âa party with a differenceâ lay in tatters after the vote.
âAll the talk of a cadre-based and disciplined party sounds hollow as such scandals involving BJP leaders crop up every now and then,â a party leader associated with the RSS said.
The RSS believes that the BJP, reluctant initially to oppose the nuclear deal, was confused in the beginning and woke up late with plans to topple the government.
It also feels that the BJP parliamentary party, which should have ensured that all its MPs were intact, took matters for granted and focused on media bluster, instead of guarding its flanks. âThat so many MPs broke away indicates that the BJP leaders were most purchasable,â an RSS source said.
The RSS is also upset because of the political loss suffered by the BJP. A section of the party leadership was trying to woo BSP leader Mayavati till a few days ago but she has now emerged as the most potent face of the third front. The Congress, on the other hand, has bagged a valuable catch in Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The sources said the BJPâs desperation to salvage some face by announcing a countrywide agitation came after the RSS expressed its displeasure.
The Sangh is also worried about the implications of an aggressive propaganda by the Congress on the nuclear deal. The Congress is presenting the deal as a case of Indiaâs empowerment, which challenges the Sangh parivarâs plank of robust nationalism.
A view that the BJP should not have stood alongside communists also worries the RSS leadership.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Could be a bit of psy-ops.