Vajpayee's line - The Hindustan Times
Editorial
()
24 April 1997
Title : Vajpayee's line
Author : Editorial
Publication : The Hindustan Times
Date : April 24, 1997
If regular TV viewers once again turned away from their soap operas
and other favourite programmes on Tuesday evening to listen to the
parliamentary debate, a major reason undoubtedly was the
expectation of yet another speech of high calibre from Mr Atal
Behari Vajpayee. They could not have been disappointed. But a
discerning viewers would have also noted that in contrast to the
other speakers from his side , Mr Vajpayee seemed to ascent to a
higher level to survey the scene more as a non-partisan observer
than as a politician keen on defeating his adversaries. While his
party members like Mrs Sushma Swaraj expressed great satisfaction,
as might be expected, over the dissensions within the united Front,
the Leader of the Opposition appeared to view the unsavoury
politicking of the recent past with considerable distress. Indeed,
he even preferred advice to his squabbling opponents to put their
house in order so that some king of stability might be restored to
the political system. To ensure this, Mr Vajpayee pointed out that
when he and Mr L. K. Advani met the President, they had stressed
the need for the Congress' participation in the government for the
sake of stability. In this context, it was hardly surprising when,
towards the end of his speech, Mr Vajpayee offered "constructive
cooperation" to the ruling alliance. All in all, it was a
statesman-like performance. Instead of rejoicing at his opponents'
discomfiture, as he legitimately might have, Mr Vajpayee appeared
to be genuinely perturbed over the manner in which the UF has been
functioning.
In taking this attitude, however, was Mr Vajpayee seeking to
project the BJP as a responsible party and himself as a a leader
capable of rising above partisan politics and looking at the
national interest as a whole? Or was this otherwise eminently
sensible stand related to the fact that the BJP does not yet
consider the time ripe for a mid-term poll and, therefore, does not
want the UF to collapse immediately? It is not impossible that the
answer is a combination of the two. For a start, there is little
doubt that Mr Vajpayee sees himself - and rightly, too - as a
leader much above the common run of politicians. His party would
also like this impression to be strengthened for it widens its
appeal. At the same time, Mr Vajpayee has no alternative but to
play the allotted exalted role for, organisationally, the BJP is in
the hands of politicians, including Mr Advani, who are not deemed
to be in the moderate camp like him. Besides, it is also true that
the BJP is chary of an early election. Between 1991 and 1996, its
all-India voting percentage remained stationary at 20 per cent, and
there is nothing to indicate that the next election will see it
surging forward. For all its troubles, the UF did not break up and
the BJP's efforts to win new friends made no headway. There may
have been very much a practical reason, therefore, for Mr Vajpayee
to play the elder statesman.
