Saswat Panigrahi
In a bid to sketch a road map to go ahead with its basics, BJP’s top-rung leaders made a bunch of thoughts at the recently concluded closed-door chitan baithak in Shimla. To move ahead with its three basic mantras -- sangathan (organisation), sangharsh (struggle) and samrachana (constructive activity), the BJP made a ‘threadbare analysis’ of the 2009 poll debacle. As many as 24 leaders resolved to address the weakness and charted the road ahead. Moreover, issues related to internal bickering, role of ideology and alliances have featured prominently during three-day-long chintan baithak.
It has been learnt that the party has reviewed and analysed its performance in the 2009 general election from both national and States’ perspective and observed what went wrong in an internal document. “Majboot neta – Nirnayak Sarkar, national security, country’s black money stashed abroad, price rise which were the main campaign themes of the BJP in 2009 general election could not get positioned effectively,” the document revealed. “However, mid campaign distractions like projection of Narendra Modi as future PM, Varun Gandhi controversy and reported internal squabble within the party took centrestage during the election and pushed aside its main campaign issue,” the report observed. The report went on to add, “In some States the party failed to access the popular sentiment and in others the poor alliance management weakened the party structure.” These all paid for the abysmal performance of the BJP. The party may deny the very existence of the report, but this is not to dispute that it was during the poll the cadre based BJP failed to cash in on the Congress led UPA’s spineless national security strategy, reckless economic policies, failure to tackle terrorism, and fetish for communal and caste politics into a strong anti-incumbency factor.
Ever since the BJP’s shocking defeat internal bickerings have marred its image. Now the division in the organisation which is becaming wide and open reflected in the public. The party is in the hands of endless chunotis (perils). The recent days have brought frozen turbulence in the party. All these have saddened and demoralized the party cadre across the country.
Party’s senior leader Jaswant Singh invited his exit by going ahead to give almost a clean chit to the architect of India’s partition Mohammed Ali Jinnah in his book Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence. Party strategist Sudheendra Kulkarni has quit and now cosying up to the Trinamool Congress. The Yashwant Sinha, Vasundhara Raje and BC Khanduri rebellion have added further blues for the party. At the top of it senior leader Arun Shourie termed the party a ‘kati patang’ and its top leaders ‘humpty dumpty’ and ‘Alice in blunderland.’
In a bid to sketch a road map to go ahead with its basics, BJP’s top-rung leaders made a bunch of thoughts at the recently concluded closed-door chitan baithak in Shimla. To move ahead with its three basic mantras -- sangathan (organisation), sangharsh (struggle) and samrachana (constructive activity), the BJP made a ‘threadbare analysis’ of the 2009 poll debacle. As many as 24 leaders resolved to address the weakness and charted the road ahead. Moreover, issues related to internal bickering, role of ideology and alliances have featured prominently during three-day-long chintan baithak.
It has been learnt that the party has reviewed and analysed its performance in the 2009 general election from both national and States’ perspective and observed what went wrong in an internal document. “Majboot neta – Nirnayak Sarkar, national security, country’s black money stashed abroad, price rise which were the main campaign themes of the BJP in 2009 general election could not get positioned effectively,” the document revealed. “However, mid campaign distractions like projection of Narendra Modi as future PM, Varun Gandhi controversy and reported internal squabble within the party took centrestage during the election and pushed aside its main campaign issue,” the report observed. The report went on to add, “In some States the party failed to access the popular sentiment and in others the poor alliance management weakened the party structure.” These all paid for the abysmal performance of the BJP. The party may deny the very existence of the report, but this is not to dispute that it was during the poll the cadre based BJP failed to cash in on the Congress led UPA’s spineless national security strategy, reckless economic policies, failure to tackle terrorism, and fetish for communal and caste politics into a strong anti-incumbency factor.
Ever since the BJP’s shocking defeat internal bickerings have marred its image. Now the division in the organisation which is becaming wide and open reflected in the public. The party is in the hands of endless chunotis (perils). The recent days have brought frozen turbulence in the party. All these have saddened and demoralized the party cadre across the country.
Party’s senior leader Jaswant Singh invited his exit by going ahead to give almost a clean chit to the architect of India’s partition Mohammed Ali Jinnah in his book Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence. Party strategist Sudheendra Kulkarni has quit and now cosying up to the Trinamool Congress. The Yashwant Sinha, Vasundhara Raje and BC Khanduri rebellion have added further blues for the party. At the top of it senior leader Arun Shourie termed the party a ‘kati patang’ and its top leaders ‘humpty dumpty’ and ‘Alice in blunderland.’
The saffron party is currently passing through a bad phase. In order to steer the party out of the troubles RSS has stepped in. RSS sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat has adviced the party to get its act together. “Whatever is happening (in BJP) is not good and it should stop. The Lok Sabha poll results have given the party a severe jolt. They will have to regain balance,” a concerned RSS chief said in a rare press conference in the capital, adding “I feel they will be able to do it.... BJP will rise from ashes.” Rattled by internecine infighting, the BJP has also turned to the RSS for relief. After a series of deliberations with the BJP leadership, the RSS is learnt to have suggested an “action plan” and left it to the party to execute it.
With RSS seting an agenda for the BJP, the turmoil in the saffron party seems to be simmering down and the party is back in a rebuilding mode. But to execute the “action plan” forward, the BJP is in dire need of a master strategist, one who could complete the unfinished task of repairing the fissures in the party and bringing its organisation to a work stable condition. The party needs a leader who could be an inspiration for the party cadres across the country and one who could link the traditional sangh parivar values with modern political thoughts. It remains to be seen who plays the role of the sankat mochak (crisis alleviator).
With RSS seting an agenda for the BJP, the turmoil in the saffron party seems to be simmering down and the party is back in a rebuilding mode. But to execute the “action plan” forward, the BJP is in dire need of a master strategist, one who could complete the unfinished task of repairing the fissures in the party and bringing its organisation to a work stable condition. The party needs a leader who could be an inspiration for the party cadres across the country and one who could link the traditional sangh parivar values with modern political thoughts. It remains to be seen who plays the role of the sankat mochak (crisis alleviator).
