Advices To BJP Party

[Guest]

Dear Ravishji,

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->If the BJP, continues to hang on to its old agenda of Hindutva, Ram Mandir etc then they may get further wiped out in the next general election.
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Why stick to BJP? People like you should join the Congress If not already done for that is the kind of ideal you are expecting. I mean why replace the Congress with the BJP?

Perhaps the following analysis of the Straits Times would please people whose core value is similar to that of the Congress or Secularism.
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"<b>13 reasons why the Congress won and the BJP lost</b>

Congress’ vote share increased by just 2 per cent and the BJP’s vote share fell by around 4 per cent.

But why did the Congress do as well as it did — and the BJP not as well as expected?

First, Congress’ pro-poor development agenda for the “common man”, or aam aadmi, found takers.

Second, regional parties such as the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the All-India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Telegu Desam Party and the communist parties were perceived by voters to be opportunistic power-grabbers who should be taught a lesson.

Third, Congress took a conscious decision not to enter into alliances with such parties. It was this decision that led some of them to form the Third Front, some with the avowed intention of returning to the UPA fold post-election. As things stand, the UPA no longer needs them.

This decision of Congress to go it alone improved its showing in the large state of Uttar Pradesh after many years of dismal performance.

Fourth, in addition to this strategy of ignoring the regional parties, Rahul Gandhi’s conscious decision to revive Congress’ organisational structures in the Hindi-speaking heartland of Uttar Pradesh — and to a lesser extent, Bihar — saw dividends.

Fifth, both because of Gandhi and the Congress fielding many younger candidates, it was perceived as a young party with a vision. In contrast, the BJP was perceived as an old party, led by an old leader, and without a vision.

Sixth, the BJP had no striking agenda. Its issues — terrorism, inflation and unemployment — have ceased to be major issues. The only thing the BJP could think of was speak ominously of money in Swiss bank accounts and this rarely got beyond the English-speaking media.

Seventh, the BJP’s campaign was perceived to be negative, filled with personal attacks against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Because Dr ingh is perceived by the electorate to be clean and honest, these personal attacks backfired.

The BJP’s leader, Lal Krishna Advani, sought a presidential-type debate with Singh. That debate did not occur. However, in the verbal exchanges that followed, Singh got the better of Advani.

Eighth, the BJP resurrected its Hindutva agenda in the person Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujerat — who was also projected as a possible prime minister — and, somewhat inadvertently, in the person of Varun Gandhi, Rahul’s estranged cousin.

This issue did not resonate with the electorate, least of all among India’s numerous religious minorities.

Ninth, good governance or its promise delivered for the Congress in some states, like Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Tenth, good governance or its promise did not deliver for the BJP in most states. Stated differently, pro-incumbency and anti-incumbency are too simplistic as propositions. They can be countered through an appropriate candidate selection system and the promise of good governance.

Eleventh, the BJP was not a united party. There was open wrangling within the party in several states.

Twelfth, third parties acted as spoilers, denting BJP vote totals in some states and that of its allies in other states.

Thirteenth, though the BJP has no presence in Kerala, the Congress gained substantially in that state because of the collapse of the left parties in the state.

Five years in opposition should have led to soul-searching within the BJP and the enunciation of a clear strategy to tackle the Congress. That did not happen. The Congress managed public relations and the media better than the BJP.

The BJP thought it was doing well and it is only in hindsight that we can now think of 13 or more reasons why it failed. That is the beauty of Indian politics — it is unpredictable. At the end of the day, the BJP was unpleasantly surprised and the Congress pleasantly. — The Straits Times

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However I take it that you are a BJP sympathiser.

The first and foremost thing to consider is if there is a level playing ground when it comes to the election.

Why and how is it that the Congress got so many seats in spite of incumbency? Is this a one time affair or is it likely to be repeated? Is this like a trump card in their permanent possession that they use at will? What gives in to them?

Are the criticism of people like Radha Rajan not valid at all?

The secular media has been against the BJP for so long. Has the BJP or the RSS done anything to face them headlong?

The NSA was invoked against Varun for one alleged speach. The Hindu Sankaracharya and later a saadhvi were arrested with such impunity and the BJP made a lip protest and carried on dreaming to annoint an old man. Why is it so easy to attack Hindu religious leaders?

And finally what does the BJP think that the Hindus want? Do they have any clue? Are we all reconciled to their idea of a modified secularism and the secularist constitution?

These are some of the important questions that are to be addressed.