Why the BJP lost

BJP mess blame on ‘outsiders’
RADHIKA RAMASESHAN

New Delhi, Sept. 1: The BJP is blaming “lateral entrants” in the party for sparking the bush fires it is now trying to douse.

The party feels that in the future, it should pick such persons “judiciously” and put them on long probation before rewarding them with power and perks.

A lateral entrant, according to BJP sources, is one who comes into the party without going through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or its affiliates like the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Swadeshi Jagran Manch.

The sources said Jaswant Singh, who is now expelled, and former L.K. Advani aide Sudheendra Kulkarni were examples of how “opportunistic and self-seeking” such entrants could be, as was Yashwant Sinha.

But Arun Shourie, who falls in the same category, was not mentioned because he scored well on one count: “ideological adherence”.

A senior leader of RSS-Jan Sangh vintage from a northern state said the conduct of the lateral entrants had angered party workers so much that some 15,000 of them had threatened to lay siege to the capital if the BJP didn’t stop inducting them.

“Our workers are asking why did Jaswant Singh criticise Advani after leaving the party? He was in it for 30 years and got every post except that of Prime Minister and BJP president. Kulkarni might well have been Advani’s principal secretary had he become Prime Minister. But after joining Mamata Banerjee, he realised he had deep ideological differences with us,” the leader said. “Our workers ask if the party was in power, would these ideological differences arise?”

Sinha, who came to the BJP from Chandra Shekhar’s SJP in 1993 after slamming the party for the Babri demolition, was cited as another case of how an “ideological turncoat” had skimmed off the cream of power and pelf and yet got away with criticising Advani.

Sinha was originally inducted by Advani, though later he switched allegiance to Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“How much campaigning has Jaswant done outside his constituencies?” the leader asked, maintaining that the party derived its strength from its workers. “Has he mobilised our cadres and been part of the membership drive?”

He said the BJP drew its identity and sustenance from its ideology and a “distinct” work and social ethos not many were attuned to or comfortable with.

Asked whether Sushma Swaraj qualified as a lateral entrant because she came directly from the socialist ranks in the ’80s, the leader was silent. He was silent, too, on S.S. Ahluwalia, the deputy leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha.

“As a swayamsevak, I sense anger and anguish among our million workers who don’t even get a ticket to fight local body elections,” the leader said, admitting at the same time that when the BJP was in power, it required specialists and resource persons from outside to run a government.

“But please, our cadres are only saying try them out for a while, test them on loyalty and dedication quotients before honouring them. There are competent persons among our cadres who speak and write good English, have analytical and articulation skills and can write books running into 200 or 300 pages. But rest assured, they won’t embarrass the party,” said the leader, taking a swipe at Jaswant, whose book on Pakistan’s founder M.A. Jinnah triggered his expulsion.

At last the BJP has come round to the view which I always had for the reason of their downfall.
As long as the BJP remained under the influence of the RSS (not me) it remained a party with a difference. But when it started admitting any Tom, Dick and Harry in the party just for attaining power, it became just like any other party filled with criminals and Ayarams and Gayaram. I suppose both Vajpayee and Advani are equally responsible for it. The way Vajpayee bent over backward to accommodate the whims of that lady from the south for just remaining Prime Minister was a pitiable sight. We saw a similar sight with Manmohan Singh having to take in corrupt ministers from the south to keep Karunanidhi happy.
The RSS on its part should realize that India is made up of all communities, Hindus, Mislims, Sikhs,Buddhists, jains, Christians, Parsees and others. No amount of wishing will be able to undo what has happened. They should learn to accomodate all the people and raise the standard of living of all the people. If they are going against any one religion, they are not proper Hindus.
A true Hindu will respect all religions.
That does not mean he will allow other religious people to convert Hindus to their religion.
The status quo has to be maintained.
Not only in India but all over the world, the Muslims and Christians should stop converting people to their religion