BJP Future - 7

[ravish]

The following item from Indian Express of 15/6/2009 gives a true analysis of the crisis of ideology that faces the BJP’s future:

Quote
BJP can’t be a party of Hindu right, it can be a party of Indian (centre) right’ BRAJESH MISHRA, former NSA on Walk the Talk
t a time when the war within the BJP following its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections is out in the open, RSS ideologue M G Vaidya today took digs at the party and asked it to “quit the Hindutva agenda” so that the “Trinamool Congress, Biju Janata Dal and Telugu Desam will once again happily go with the BJP.” He is of the view that one who heads A
the parliamentary party should also be the party president
Vaidya, who had criticised the BJP, particularly L K Advani, for dissociating from the main party agenda which he claimed led to its poor show in the elections, said if the party now abandoned Hindutva “its umbilical cord with the RSS will
automatically fall”. He maintained this would not impact the RSS because “come what may, the Sangh isn’t going to quit Hindutva”
In his column in Marathi daily Tarun Bharat, Vaidya wrote: “The BJP hasn’t been able to impress on peoples’ mind the comprehensive purport of Hindutva despite its rule at the Centre and in many states perhaps because they
found it narrow-minded or did not find it useful in ascending the throne o power.” “This will have no adverse effect on the RSS. I feel those honouring the Hindutva ideology are in huge num bers. The only thing needed is to touch hearts. The response will be such that it will act as a source o strength and energy. But it should be done with honesty.” Referring to the BJP vacillation on Hindutva, Vaidya pointed out that the
“dilemma” has existed ever since Jana Sangh days. “In the 1980 elec tions, it was suggested that Bharatiya Jana Sangh be called Bharatiya Janata Party The flag was also changed. The saffron part became two-third and the green part be came one-third Bharatiyatva and inte grated humanism
lagged behind and socialism came to the fore. Various formats of socialism democratic and Gandhian, surfaced The BJP chose the Gandhian version Did that absolve it of the communalism charge? Did Muslims make a beeline to join it,” he wrote
“After the 1984 poll stunner, the BJP again remembered Hindutva. The
BJP kept growing and power started getting closer to the party. But it wasn’t close enough to propel it to power
The party could have gained strength to win the elections on its own, but the party had no patience — the temptation of power was too strong. The BJP fell for it and left its core ideology again. In 2004, when it lost power, it was once again reminded of Hindutva. It was included in the 2009 manifesto
This, however, failed to impress people,” he said
“Now some intellectuals feel the BJP has lost because it went back to Hindutva
Jaithirth Rao, Dhiraj Nayyar and Meghnad Desai have all advised in The Indian Express over the past few days that BJP should disengage itself from Hindutva. All these are neutral writers. But Swapan Dasgupta and Sudheendra Kulkarni are not known to be like them. They have also written that the BJP should look beyond Hindutva. My advice is that the BJP should really quit the Hindutva agenda. Its umbilical cord with the RSS will automatically fall.” But he also had a poser: “If acceptance of the Sachar report were to attract Muslims, then why did Muslims reject Mulayam Singh and Lalu Yadav?” Responding to Vaidya’s remarks on the party’s “inconsistency” on Hindutva, BJP president Rajnath Singh said he would remain wedded to the core ideology for all times to come. “I want to put this bluntly that I still abide by the ideology of Hindutva which I have followed ever since I commenced my political career
And I will remain wedded to it for all times to come,” Singh told reporters in Ghaziabad
Unquote
This may not be digestible to many of the forum members as they are unable to comprehend the true reason of the election debacle . In fact, in the past there has been a strong tendency to keep on casting aspersion on various section of the media to challenge the authenticity of many of the reports and articles in the national media which tried to bring out the truth .Truth is always bitter and so the best way to save oneself is to bring up some excuse to defend one’s own political ideology.
The most recent example is the move to defend the number of tinted MPs that got elected on BJP ticket. How corrupt Mrs. Sonia Gandhi or Mr. Rahul Gandhi is does not justify in any way that the BJP should give party ticket to large number of allegedly corrupt elements. This very process of justification has so far prevented the BJP to take corrective measures.