What many see as the fall of the lotus is actually the precedent to a reformation
What many see as the fall of the lotus is actually the precedent to a reformation. A time will come when the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) will regain every bit of what it has lost in the recent elections. Once the helm is handed over to someone like Atal Behari Vajpayee again, electorates will once again hand back the
'centre'stage to the party in opposition. Why Vajpayee? An ever-adjusting, smiling man, almost impossible to find in politics, is always acceptable in most social, linguistic and religious groups. And it's the need of the hour, too, because for the success of democracy in India, there must be at least two dominant political parties. One, of course, is the Congress, and BJP can play Phoenix.
To win lost grounds, BJP needs to play its cards systematically, though. First, its current leaders need to learn the art of sacrificing, because they lack what people love the Vajpayee's charisma, Rahul's sincerity, Sonia's management and the evident incorruptibility of PM Manmohan Singh. Letting go doesn't mean their role would be diminished. They need to act as consultants, introducers and brand builders, thus adding value to the party and its new head.
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LK Advani's gang, with about 100 members in the parliament, is still a force to reckon with, because it's the 'prime opposition party'. No other party is near to it in terms of number of parliamentarians, and a share in the vote bank. Moreover, apart from the Congress, this is the only opposition that has managed to complete a full term in the union government. Then, its extreme religious ideologies took a backseat when it came to governance. Also, the BJP is a party that has the courage to take radical decisions to safeguard the respect of the country, say those as harsh as Kargil. In addition, it implemented all major policies and plans initiated by the previous Congress government. Like Congress, the BJP has also enjoyed a dominant position, both in terms of the number of seats held in Parliament and the state legislative assemblies, apart from its immense organisational strength outside the legislatures. So, there is no way that we can question their competency, it's just a phase.
The BJP has almost four years to strengthen itself. Many a time, while reporting various assembly elections, I found that the people were not happy with the incumbent government, but as they had little choice, they voted again, and again, for the stronger player. May be the BJP should take some lessons from the Chanakya-Chandragupta chapter. As soon as the biggies will get ready to play their role of Chanakya and groom an able leader into their Chandragupta, they will enjoy the fruits of true power.
Amit Kumar is Chief Reporter, MiD DAY, Delhi
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