Where is the BJP?
The decline began two years ago, when India's electorate rejected the claim that the nation was shining. And ever since, the Bharatiya Janata Party has never been taken seriously.
Of course, you get to see a few leaders on news channels, and sometimes protesting outside the Parliament, but the party which once trumpeted "Able leader, stable government" is on the brink of caving in.
Picture this. Two years of the UPA. Such a poor excuse for a government. On the second anniversary, as everyone in the UPA gathers to celebrate (?!?), there are so many burning issues. Arjun Singh doesn't even know what he is doing, and triggers off Mandal II. Protesting medicos. And to top it all, Meira Kumar suggests that the private sector should voluntarily bring in reservations within two years. Srinagar is rocked. The Sensex crashes. There is talk of a major fuel price hike.
And yet the BJP, the main opposition party, is nowhere to be seen or heard. Any other party would have torn the Government to shreads. The BJP though is quite content in stoking its own internal clashes.
A couple of weeks ago, five states went to polls. Of more than 800 assembly seats, the BJP managed to win a very low number. This when projected in the Parliament would give them less than half a dozen seats. And every other seat would have gone to the UPA. Agreed that the BJP has never done well in any of these states. Agreed that the Left is spineless enough to support the Congress at the Centre after engaging in slanging matches in Kerala and West Bengal. But that is no excuse for the BJP.
The situation is compounded by the fact that the party is treated as an untouchable almost everywhere. No one wants to get into an alliance with the BJP. And their own parivar is unhappy that the party is compromising its core ideology.
That leaves them only one choice -- unless the BJP can sweep the Hindi heartland, 2009 is a lost dream. But that is easier said than achieved. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat have BJP governments, where anti-incumbency might come into play. Uttar Pradesh's polity is fractured, and indications are that Mayavati is the current frontrunner. Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand, well you never know.
Though the present Government is bumbling, the BJP is at pains to find an issue to touch base with the common man. Worse, the party is unable to keep its own flock together. Even worse is the lack of solid alliance partners. Add to this the loss of Pramod Mahajan, a key strategist and negotiator... and you have a party which seems doomed.
One wonders, what's cooking at 11, Ashoka Road?
Of course, you get to see a few leaders on news channels, and sometimes protesting outside the Parliament, but the party which once trumpeted "Able leader, stable government" is on the brink of caving in.
Picture this. Two years of the UPA. Such a poor excuse for a government. On the second anniversary, as everyone in the UPA gathers to celebrate (?!?), there are so many burning issues. Arjun Singh doesn't even know what he is doing, and triggers off Mandal II. Protesting medicos. And to top it all, Meira Kumar suggests that the private sector should voluntarily bring in reservations within two years. Srinagar is rocked. The Sensex crashes. There is talk of a major fuel price hike.
And yet the BJP, the main opposition party, is nowhere to be seen or heard. Any other party would have torn the Government to shreads. The BJP though is quite content in stoking its own internal clashes.
A couple of weeks ago, five states went to polls. Of more than 800 assembly seats, the BJP managed to win a very low number. This when projected in the Parliament would give them less than half a dozen seats. And every other seat would have gone to the UPA. Agreed that the BJP has never done well in any of these states. Agreed that the Left is spineless enough to support the Congress at the Centre after engaging in slanging matches in Kerala and West Bengal. But that is no excuse for the BJP.
The situation is compounded by the fact that the party is treated as an untouchable almost everywhere. No one wants to get into an alliance with the BJP. And their own parivar is unhappy that the party is compromising its core ideology.
That leaves them only one choice -- unless the BJP can sweep the Hindi heartland, 2009 is a lost dream. But that is easier said than achieved. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat have BJP governments, where anti-incumbency might come into play. Uttar Pradesh's polity is fractured, and indications are that Mayavati is the current frontrunner. Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand, well you never know.
Though the present Government is bumbling, the BJP is at pains to find an issue to touch base with the common man. Worse, the party is unable to keep its own flock together. Even worse is the lack of solid alliance partners. Add to this the loss of Pramod Mahajan, a key strategist and negotiator... and you have a party which seems doomed.
One wonders, what's cooking at 11, Ashoka Road?
posted by Vijay Krishna Narayanan | 5/23/2006 10:05:00 AM
3 Comments:
They are busy protesting against the release of movies, orchestrating religious divide, struggling to manage its eccentric leaders and the like
Isn’t it unfortunate that we don’t have third national party?
yes.. kaanama poidthu... they are busy protecting our culture (?!?)leaving other important things.
infact when one of my colleagues said he voted for bjp, ppl started laughing!
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