India needs development but not at the cost of stability, social cohesion and communal amity. Can we hope to achieve sustainable development when the minds of people are not in peace and when there is lack of togetherness and respect for one another? What kind of development can we expect from the BJP, which does not even hesitate to induct hate-mongers like Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Varun Gandhi as the mascot of the party for the upcoming general elections?
Even though BJP president Rajnath Singh did all in his capacity to strike a balance to maintain uniformity in his team, yet the likes and dislikes of Narendra Modi have prevailed over the BJP notwithstanding the denial of Mr. Singh. Amit Shah and Sanjay Joshi are the two best examples to hold the view that towards the end Modi has prevailed. The only issue that makes both the BJP and RSS nervous at times is the way Modi has functioned over the years and is widely known in the political circles for his authoritarian way of doing things. Many in the political circles believe that political space provided for Narendra Modi on the national stage is only to polarise and charge the voters. His absolute role is yet to be defined and it is likely to shape up only before elections. The onus of keeping the allies intact surely lies with the party chief. He has to bridge the barriers in between BJP and its new and old allies. Here, Narendra Modi is an odd man out for the party. The BJP has to decide before polls as to whether the party wants to fight elections by counting on Modi or without important allies by its side.
All political parties know the importance of coalition politics and the growing clout of regional parties; and under such circumstances failing to win more allies may turn out to be a political disaster for the party. K N Govindacharya, former BJP ideologue, has expressed his viewpoint on BJP’s new team, saying that this new team led by Rajnath Singh would reduce the party’s seat to 90 after 2014 LokSabha polls as against its present tally of 115 seats. The hype and buzz of Modi’s rising clout in the party is only because of his media management strategy. Govindacharya also compared the new team of the BJP to a breakdown truck which is pushed by people from all sides if it has to move.
It is yet to be ascertained as to what message the party wants to give to the people by giving important responsibility to Amit Shah and Varun Gandhi in the party central leadership. Is it to be believed that the next election will be fought on anti-minority plank, aggressive Hindutva or the party has nominated their candidature as a reward and bonus points for what they have done so far or are known for their anti-minority agenda? Has the BJP calculated its impact on the political scene because by and large people of India believe in pluralism and want to live in peace in order to prosper?
There are reports that initially the party was reluctant to give any important position to Amit Shah but towards the end fell in line under intense pressure and lobbying from Narendra Modi. Sohrabuddin and his wife Kauser Bi were allegedly picked up by Gujarat’s Anti-Terrorism Squad from Hyderabad and killed in an encounter near Gandhinagar in November 2005. Shah had resigned from his post, a day after CBI filed a charge-sheet alleging that he was the kingpin of the conspiracy. Shah was home minister in Gujarat when he was arrested in Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case in July 2010. He was jailed for three months before being granted bail but is banned from returning to Ahmedabad. The decision of BJP president to appoint Amit Shah as party general secretary has shocked Rubabuddin, brother of Sohrabuddin Sheikh.
In 2009, during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh, Varun had spewed venom on Muslims when he said,“This is not a hand (Congress symbol), it is the power of the lotus (BJP symbol). It will cut the head of… Jai Shri Ram.” At another meeting, he had said, “If anyone raises a finger towards Hindus or if someone thinks that Hindus are weak and leaderless, if someone thinks that these leaders lick our boots for votes, if anyone raises a finger towards Hindus, then I swear on Gita that I will cut that hand.”
Narendra Modi came under heavy fire from not only Congress and its allies but also from NDA partner JD-U when he tried to make a strong pitch for his prime ministerial ambition by insinuating that he wanted to serve India. Recently, Modi has said that he has repaid the debt he owes to Gujarat and now he wanted to repay his debt of India. Congress leader Manish Tiwari, without mincing any word, has said,“I often worry about the statements made by Narendra Modi and I hope he doesn’t want to do in the rest of India what he did in Gujarat in 2002.”
JD-U general secretary and party spokesman ShivanandTewari, in his reaction to Modi’s statement, said Modi can serve India even by serving Gujarat. He has made such a statement only to express his prime ministerial ambition. NCP leader Tariq Anwar has said that it appears from his statements that he is not satisfied with what he had done in Gujarat during 2002 riots and now he wants to do the same in the entire country. SP leader NareshAgarwal has said on Modi’s statements that it is good to dream but it is up to the people to decide who they want and who can take the country forward together.
In the run-up to the process of selecting a team of the BJP to prepare ground for the BJP it became evident that L K Advani is politically irrelevant for the BJP. Some of his loyalists may have found place in the new team but his overall say and command within the party has drastically fallen. Although Vijay Goel did pitch his name for the prime ministerial candidate at the 33rd foundation day of the party at BJP headquarters in the national capital,yet it could not get echoing support voice from all sides.
Whenever Advani is left out or not given due recognition in the party, he does try to bring the Ayodhya issue to the front only to remind the party that he is the man that helped the BJP rise to the power at the Centre and how come they ignore his contribution in building the party.
Advani, while speaking at the BJP headquarters on party’s foundation day, said he felt pride in admitting that his party raised the issue of Ram temple as it was not just a political movement but also a cultural one. He also wanted to use the opportunity to his side when he said that people say that BJP and Bharatiya Jana Sangh achieved this position by raising issues like Ayodhya and Ram temple. But the underlying message for the people and the party that came out from Advani on the foundation day is significant and it is up to the people to decode what he has intended to say or what he was talking about when he said that today’s BJP is different from my idea of the party.