BJP Future - 6

[Guest]

When the BJP lost the election in 2004 it went to a rigor mortis nationally from which it never recovered even though the party in some states did good work. The defeat was not taken as an opportunity for the national leadership to be reconstituted. It went into bureaucratic 'seniority' mode and let an octogenarian of the distant past and root in Karachi whose sole preoccupation was in the trauma of partition and his inimical vacillation between Gandhism and Hindutva, to lead the party. The idea floated was that he would keep the warring next gen from dividing the party so as to hide his drooling to become the next P.M. After all, all the secularists stake claim on these kind of pretexts rather than being qualified to lead a huge country with an emerging economy. Unfortunately all the political parties including the BJP never relied or trusted on grassroot democracy which would have shown each leader in the party his place of pride. Advani's praising of Jinnah got him no discernible punishment except a gentle slap in the wrist. Thus even a momentous occasion to reorganize the party was squandered.

My suggestion is for the party to go into democratic reorganization and unequivocally state its goal of establishing a Hindu Raashtra and abandon any pretense to secularism of the anti-Hindus. Unlike the last time the new parliament may not be gracious to give the secularists a five year term. So a reorganized and renewed party of the Hindus can win a state constitutionally or even otherwise.

If the BJP is unwilling to do this, Hindus will definitely found a new party to represent them.