08-17-2009, 07:45 AM
<b>Advani, Rajnath are not BJPâs future</b>
August 17th, 2009
By Ashok Malik
It would be unfair to see the current mess in the BJP â with Rajasthan as its new theatre of civil war â as a simple battle between the RSS and the BJP or a factional tussle between Rajnath Singh and L.K. Advani.
Those are elements of the drama but the whole narrative, with its sub-plots and midnight intrigues, is far more complicated.
To understand the pathetic state of the BJP, consider four points.
First, the timing of the crisis is noteworthy. Each time the party prepares for a meeting that might just discuss and critique the Lok Sabha election of 2009 and demand an honest debate on the condition of the BJP, a convenient diversion appears.
When the national executive met a few weeks ago, some people began writing letters and then distributed them from a hotel in the heart of New Delhi.
This time, just before the chintan baithak in Shimla, Vasundhara Raje was told to resign. The provocative gesture was bound to spell trouble.
In both cases, the agenda for the meeting was sought to be pre-empted. The party leadership was helped out by the creation of collateral scripts and smokescreens. Who was the intended beneficiary and who the mastermind? The pattern is tiresome, repetitive and crystal clear.
Second, is Vasundhara Rajeâs removal an attempt at accountability or at factionalism? In the three months since the Lok Sabha drubbing, no benchmarks have been set for resignations and retrenchments. The entire process has been ad hoc and individual-specific.
This has led to the conclusion that the party headquarters is playing favourites within state units.
Rajasthan is a case in point. From 2003 to 2008, Vasundhara Raje was the chief minister. Her government had a mixed record; it had its achievements but also faced charges of condoning corruption. Vasundhara was not always seen as a team player. Some sections of the local RSS didnât like her.
However, it is equally true that the lady has a pan-Rajasthan appeal and fought a valiant state election, taking the BJP to 79 seats in a House of 200. She lost, but lost with honour.
The Lok Sabha election saw a poorer performance. Subsequently, the state party president resigned and the organising secretary â the RSS nominee in the party brass â was also removed. The organising secretary is close to the RSS faction that now runs day-to-day business in the BJP and uses Rajnath Singh as the ventriloquistâs doll.
The price this cabal has demanded is Vasundharaâs expulsion from Jaipur.
Politically, this is suicidal. Unlike, say, Madhya Pradesh the RSS does not have the grassroots network and rigour in Rajasthan to influence elections even after the removal of a popular leader.
The party itself has no one to match Vasundhara. For all her faults, she is indispensable. The dissenting MLAs who turned up in New Delhi were only reflecting this reality.
Third, the Rajasthan episode offers an interesting template. The state unit president, the RSS representative perceived as the organisational sheet-anchor and now the legislative leader have all been asked to move out.
If this standard is adhered to in one state, then why not at the central level?
In New Delhi, it is quite another story. L.K. Advani has more or less indicated he wants to remain Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha for five years, which would make him 86 when he leaves office.
Among the reasons cited is the fact that the party performed creditably in the recent parliamentary session!
<b>This is astonishing. Mr Advani was Leader of the Opposition in the previous Lok Sabha when the BJP made a hash of things, resorting to boycotts and walkouts rather than serious interrogation of the government. As the partyâs prime ministerial candidate, he was roundly rejected by the electorate.</b> How can he expect to stay on? Rajnath Singhâs performance as party president has been equally abysmal. A post that should have been above the fray has been opened up to accusations of caste bias, in-house conspiracy and transactional decision-making.
Mr Singh has made common cause with a sliver of the RSS leadership that has influence but, it must be stressed, does not constitute the entirety of the Sangh.
Mr Singhâs biggest guarantor is, paradoxically, Mr Advani. <b>The patriarchâs refusal to bow out gracefully has given the over-promoted president a sort of moral case. </b> Nevertheless Mr Singh and his Sangh handlers know he cannot possibly get another term after his presidency ends this winter.
That is why they are resorting to a scorched-earth policy â leaving the party ravaged before they bid goodbye.
<b>
Fourth, that both Mr Advani and Mr Singh have to walk into the sunset is non-negotiable. The BJP may or may not have a future â but, certainly, these two are not the future.</b> <b>Their individual and combined cussedness and â harsh as this sounds â selfishness has contributed to the BJP central hierarchy losing all authority and credibility.</b>
There is no quick-fix solution. Even so, the Rajasthan chapter offers an alternative template as well. Irrespective of whether Vasundhara Raje stays on or is forced out â how long can a party endure such defiance, however justified it may be? â the stateâs angry MLAs have made it obvious that the BJP cannot ignore internal democratic impulses for long.
The leadership of the BJP, its presidency and choice of electoral mascots cannot be treated as guru dakshina or manipulated by mysterious cliques and extra-political lobbies. Is this a democratic party that claims mass support and seeks votes â or is it the inner chamber of the Mughal zenana?
The upshot is that after Mr Advani and Rajnath Singh have been escorted to the exit door their successors must be elected rather than selected.
The mode may not be smooth; there may be contentious competition. Never mind, the BJP will emerge the stronger for it. The next leadership will have legitimacy.
Before he launched the Quit India movement this month 67 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi told the British: âLeave India to God. If that is too much, then leave her to anarchy.â <b>The BJP needs to give its Fevicol-coated veterans a similar message.</b>
n Ashok Malik can be
contacted at malikashok@gmail.com
August 17th, 2009
By Ashok Malik
It would be unfair to see the current mess in the BJP â with Rajasthan as its new theatre of civil war â as a simple battle between the RSS and the BJP or a factional tussle between Rajnath Singh and L.K. Advani.
Those are elements of the drama but the whole narrative, with its sub-plots and midnight intrigues, is far more complicated.
To understand the pathetic state of the BJP, consider four points.
First, the timing of the crisis is noteworthy. Each time the party prepares for a meeting that might just discuss and critique the Lok Sabha election of 2009 and demand an honest debate on the condition of the BJP, a convenient diversion appears.
When the national executive met a few weeks ago, some people began writing letters and then distributed them from a hotel in the heart of New Delhi.
This time, just before the chintan baithak in Shimla, Vasundhara Raje was told to resign. The provocative gesture was bound to spell trouble.
In both cases, the agenda for the meeting was sought to be pre-empted. The party leadership was helped out by the creation of collateral scripts and smokescreens. Who was the intended beneficiary and who the mastermind? The pattern is tiresome, repetitive and crystal clear.
Second, is Vasundhara Rajeâs removal an attempt at accountability or at factionalism? In the three months since the Lok Sabha drubbing, no benchmarks have been set for resignations and retrenchments. The entire process has been ad hoc and individual-specific.
This has led to the conclusion that the party headquarters is playing favourites within state units.
Rajasthan is a case in point. From 2003 to 2008, Vasundhara Raje was the chief minister. Her government had a mixed record; it had its achievements but also faced charges of condoning corruption. Vasundhara was not always seen as a team player. Some sections of the local RSS didnât like her.
However, it is equally true that the lady has a pan-Rajasthan appeal and fought a valiant state election, taking the BJP to 79 seats in a House of 200. She lost, but lost with honour.
The Lok Sabha election saw a poorer performance. Subsequently, the state party president resigned and the organising secretary â the RSS nominee in the party brass â was also removed. The organising secretary is close to the RSS faction that now runs day-to-day business in the BJP and uses Rajnath Singh as the ventriloquistâs doll.
The price this cabal has demanded is Vasundharaâs expulsion from Jaipur.
Politically, this is suicidal. Unlike, say, Madhya Pradesh the RSS does not have the grassroots network and rigour in Rajasthan to influence elections even after the removal of a popular leader.
The party itself has no one to match Vasundhara. For all her faults, she is indispensable. The dissenting MLAs who turned up in New Delhi were only reflecting this reality.
Third, the Rajasthan episode offers an interesting template. The state unit president, the RSS representative perceived as the organisational sheet-anchor and now the legislative leader have all been asked to move out.
If this standard is adhered to in one state, then why not at the central level?
In New Delhi, it is quite another story. L.K. Advani has more or less indicated he wants to remain Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha for five years, which would make him 86 when he leaves office.
Among the reasons cited is the fact that the party performed creditably in the recent parliamentary session!
<b>This is astonishing. Mr Advani was Leader of the Opposition in the previous Lok Sabha when the BJP made a hash of things, resorting to boycotts and walkouts rather than serious interrogation of the government. As the partyâs prime ministerial candidate, he was roundly rejected by the electorate.</b> How can he expect to stay on? Rajnath Singhâs performance as party president has been equally abysmal. A post that should have been above the fray has been opened up to accusations of caste bias, in-house conspiracy and transactional decision-making.
Mr Singh has made common cause with a sliver of the RSS leadership that has influence but, it must be stressed, does not constitute the entirety of the Sangh.
Mr Singhâs biggest guarantor is, paradoxically, Mr Advani. <b>The patriarchâs refusal to bow out gracefully has given the over-promoted president a sort of moral case. </b> Nevertheless Mr Singh and his Sangh handlers know he cannot possibly get another term after his presidency ends this winter.
That is why they are resorting to a scorched-earth policy â leaving the party ravaged before they bid goodbye.
<b>
Fourth, that both Mr Advani and Mr Singh have to walk into the sunset is non-negotiable. The BJP may or may not have a future â but, certainly, these two are not the future.</b> <b>Their individual and combined cussedness and â harsh as this sounds â selfishness has contributed to the BJP central hierarchy losing all authority and credibility.</b>
There is no quick-fix solution. Even so, the Rajasthan chapter offers an alternative template as well. Irrespective of whether Vasundhara Raje stays on or is forced out â how long can a party endure such defiance, however justified it may be? â the stateâs angry MLAs have made it obvious that the BJP cannot ignore internal democratic impulses for long.
The leadership of the BJP, its presidency and choice of electoral mascots cannot be treated as guru dakshina or manipulated by mysterious cliques and extra-political lobbies. Is this a democratic party that claims mass support and seeks votes â or is it the inner chamber of the Mughal zenana?
The upshot is that after Mr Advani and Rajnath Singh have been escorted to the exit door their successors must be elected rather than selected.
The mode may not be smooth; there may be contentious competition. Never mind, the BJP will emerge the stronger for it. The next leadership will have legitimacy.
Before he launched the Quit India movement this month 67 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi told the British: âLeave India to God. If that is too much, then leave her to anarchy.â <b>The BJP needs to give its Fevicol-coated veterans a similar message.</b>
n Ashok Malik can be
contacted at malikashok@gmail.com