Has the BJP genuinely changed or is it a cs of wolf in sheep's clothing? I leave it to the readers to judge.
It seems the lessons of the Delhi poll debacle are sinking in. The first sign is Narendra Modi’s strong condemnation of the recent attacks on churches accompanied by a reassurance that his government will do everything in its power to protect the freedom of religion as guaranteed by the Constitution.
The words, delivered at a function organized by Kerala’s Syrian Christian Church, were long overdue. While appreciating the fact that Modi finally broke his disturbing silence, a question arises: why did he not speak up earlier? Why only after voters in Delhi gave him and the BJP a bloody nose by giving Arvind Kerjriwal’s AAP the biggest majority any political party has got since Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK in Tamil Nadu in 1991?
It is interesting that Modi’s endorsement of India’s secular polity came after a weekend of intense deliberations at the RSS headquarters in Delhi’s Jhandewalan area. The upshot of the discussions was the realization that recent activities of Hindu groups like ghar wapsi programmes, the love jihad agitation, the attacks on churches, etc and shrill communal rhetoric from the saffron brigade in the BJP are boomeranging. Instead of consolidating the Hindu vote in favour of the BJP, flag bearers of Hindutva have ended up uniting anti-BJP forces. AAP, it was estimated, won because the combined vote share of the religious minorities and political parties like the Congress, JD(U), BSP etc added up to a figure too formidable for the BJP to beat.
Those with some knowledge of internal discussions maintain that the top leadership of the BJP and the RSS realize the urgency of course correction. If politics polarizes into a BJP versus the rest scenario, the saffron front will be decimated, much like the Congress was every time it was pitted against anti-Congress front consisting of all the other parties. Modi’s “secular’’ pitch at a Christian function is the first attempt at walking the middle path. If he sounded shaky, well, it couldn’t have been easy for a Hindutva icon to don new robes. But even if he succeeds in reigning in his hotheads and the RSS cracks the whip of its affiliates, can they control rabid Hindu groups outside the parivar like those on a countrywide mission to build temples honouring Nathuram Godse?
Loosened tongues
The BJP’s Delhi defeat has loosened tongues. All of a sudden, middle level leaders are criticizing the way Amit Shah has been running the party ever since he took over last July. For instance, he hasn’t called a single meeting of the National Executive since the one in August last year which endorsed his appointment as president. The National Executive is supposed to meet every three months.
Many in the party are also upset that he disbanded the 2 dozen or so cells that Rajnath Singh had set up. Shah has not bothered to constitute fresh ones. These cells are issue-specific, like foreign policy, economic, etc, and are a way of keeping party leaders busy and happy.
But the biggest complaint against him is that he hasn’t replaced the five office bearers who have moved out of the party organization. Four were inducted into Modi’s union council of ministers last November: Rajiv Pratap Rudy, J P Nadda, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Rama Shanker Katheria. The fifth, Raghubar Das, shifted to Jharkhand as chief minister. Shah’s delay has left many aspirants unhappy.
Wedding lights
Guests at the wedding reception of Congress leader and former MP Subbarami Reddy’s grandson were heartened to see Sonia Gandhi and daughter Priyanka attend the celebration despite the party’s total rout in the Delhi elections. The reception happened to be on the day the results came out and the Congress ended up with a duck in a city-state that it recently ruled for 15 years.
Both Sonia and Priyanka looked composed and maintained a brave face amid the terrible news. Of course, they stayed for a short while only and those who greete4d them were diplomatic enough to keep off the Delhi poll results.
But the big question on everyone’s mind was: where was Rahul? The scion of the Gandhi family, vice president of the Congress and soon-to-be appointed party president was nowhere to be seen. In fact, Congress circles had no clue where he was on result day even as his right hand man and media in-charge Ajay Maken resigned from the general secretary’s post, owning full responsibility for the miserable performance.
Bear hug
Two days after Arvind Kejriwal’s stunning win, Delhi woke up to an unusual photograph in the newspapers. President Pranab Mukherjee was on the front page enveloping Kejriwal in a big bear hug reminiscent of the one Narendra Modi gave Barack Obama at the Delhi airport.
It was a striking picture. Mukherjee looked genuinely thrilled at Kejriwal’s victory although his daughter, Sharmishtha, who contested as a Congress candidate from Greater Kailash, suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of the AAP.
But more than his beaming expression, the picture was unusual because it was one of those rare occasions on which the President of India has broken with protocol tradition to hug a visitor.
Apparently, protocol rules at Rashtrapati Bhavan demand strict formality. A handshake is about the best one can get from the President. A bear hug is most unusual. The Presideent obviously decided to make an exception for giant-killer Kejriwal.
It seems the lessons of the Delhi poll debacle are sinking in. The first sign is Narendra Modi’s strong condemnation of the recent attacks on churches accompanied by a reassurance that his government will do everything in its power to protect the freedom of religion as guaranteed by the Constitution.
The words, delivered at a function organized by Kerala’s Syrian Christian Church, were long overdue. While appreciating the fact that Modi finally broke his disturbing silence, a question arises: why did he not speak up earlier? Why only after voters in Delhi gave him and the BJP a bloody nose by giving Arvind Kerjriwal’s AAP the biggest majority any political party has got since Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK in Tamil Nadu in 1991?
It is interesting that Modi’s endorsement of India’s secular polity came after a weekend of intense deliberations at the RSS headquarters in Delhi’s Jhandewalan area. The upshot of the discussions was the realization that recent activities of Hindu groups like ghar wapsi programmes, the love jihad agitation, the attacks on churches, etc and shrill communal rhetoric from the saffron brigade in the BJP are boomeranging. Instead of consolidating the Hindu vote in favour of the BJP, flag bearers of Hindutva have ended up uniting anti-BJP forces. AAP, it was estimated, won because the combined vote share of the religious minorities and political parties like the Congress, JD(U), BSP etc added up to a figure too formidable for the BJP to beat.
Those with some knowledge of internal discussions maintain that the top leadership of the BJP and the RSS realize the urgency of course correction. If politics polarizes into a BJP versus the rest scenario, the saffron front will be decimated, much like the Congress was every time it was pitted against anti-Congress front consisting of all the other parties. Modi’s “secular’’ pitch at a Christian function is the first attempt at walking the middle path. If he sounded shaky, well, it couldn’t have been easy for a Hindutva icon to don new robes. But even if he succeeds in reigning in his hotheads and the RSS cracks the whip of its affiliates, can they control rabid Hindu groups outside the parivar like those on a countrywide mission to build temples honouring Nathuram Godse?
Loosened tongues
The BJP’s Delhi defeat has loosened tongues. All of a sudden, middle level leaders are criticizing the way Amit Shah has been running the party ever since he took over last July. For instance, he hasn’t called a single meeting of the National Executive since the one in August last year which endorsed his appointment as president. The National Executive is supposed to meet every three months.
Many in the party are also upset that he disbanded the 2 dozen or so cells that Rajnath Singh had set up. Shah has not bothered to constitute fresh ones. These cells are issue-specific, like foreign policy, economic, etc, and are a way of keeping party leaders busy and happy.
But the biggest complaint against him is that he hasn’t replaced the five office bearers who have moved out of the party organization. Four were inducted into Modi’s union council of ministers last November: Rajiv Pratap Rudy, J P Nadda, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Rama Shanker Katheria. The fifth, Raghubar Das, shifted to Jharkhand as chief minister. Shah’s delay has left many aspirants unhappy.
Wedding lights
Guests at the wedding reception of Congress leader and former MP Subbarami Reddy’s grandson were heartened to see Sonia Gandhi and daughter Priyanka attend the celebration despite the party’s total rout in the Delhi elections. The reception happened to be on the day the results came out and the Congress ended up with a duck in a city-state that it recently ruled for 15 years.
Both Sonia and Priyanka looked composed and maintained a brave face amid the terrible news. Of course, they stayed for a short while only and those who greete4d them were diplomatic enough to keep off the Delhi poll results.
But the big question on everyone’s mind was: where was Rahul? The scion of the Gandhi family, vice president of the Congress and soon-to-be appointed party president was nowhere to be seen. In fact, Congress circles had no clue where he was on result day even as his right hand man and media in-charge Ajay Maken resigned from the general secretary’s post, owning full responsibility for the miserable performance.
Bear hug
Two days after Arvind Kejriwal’s stunning win, Delhi woke up to an unusual photograph in the newspapers. President Pranab Mukherjee was on the front page enveloping Kejriwal in a big bear hug reminiscent of the one Narendra Modi gave Barack Obama at the Delhi airport.
It was a striking picture. Mukherjee looked genuinely thrilled at Kejriwal’s victory although his daughter, Sharmishtha, who contested as a Congress candidate from Greater Kailash, suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of the AAP.
But more than his beaming expression, the picture was unusual because it was one of those rare occasions on which the President of India has broken with protocol tradition to hug a visitor.
Apparently, protocol rules at Rashtrapati Bhavan demand strict formality. A handshake is about the best one can get from the President. A bear hug is most unusual. The Presideent obviously decided to make an exception for giant-killer Kejriwal.
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