HVK Archives: When the BJP stood out in 'splendid isolation'
When the BJP stood out in 'splendid isolation' - The Observer
R C Acharya
()
5 June 1996
Title : When the BJP stood out in 'splendid isolation'
Author : R C Acharya
Publication : The Observer
Date : June 5, 1996
THE recently concluded session of the Lok Sabha, in which the
Bharatiya Janata Party has suffered an ignominious exit from the
treasury benches, appeared more like a three-ring circus which I
normally used to extol for its entertainment value. During the
13 days it lasted in power, this disciplined and determined party
of highly talented and principled individuals added its name to
the hundreds of scheduled caste groups consigned to the bottom of
the social ladder by 'Manu'.
They became the new 'untouchables' as repeated attempts at
persuading MPs from the regional parties, the independents and
even the socalled dissidents from the Congress drew no response.
It was pathetic to see the original strength of 194 MPs staunchly
supportive of its government remaining frozen at the same level
till its dying days in power.
Perceived by the vast majority belonging to the Southern, Eastern
and North-Eastern states as a body of arrogant, upper caste
Hindus, predominantly belonging to the Hindi speaking 'cow belt,'
intent on imposing their brand of 'one country, one people and
one culture,' BJP faced an unrelenting flak from the opposition
MPs of various hues during the fateful two days of debate in the
Lok Sabha in the last week of May.
Apart from the second largest party, viz Congress, which had been
recently voted out of power, the most virulent attack came from
smaller groups, minority communities and even independents.
Mulayam Singh likened the BJP to the Nazis who strove to impose
their version of the Aryan culture bent upon purifying the
Gernian nation in the 1930s and 40s, and ultimately ended up in
the disastrous Second World War whicii brought all round ruin.
He vowed to fight the 'Hitler' cult come what may, and appeared
to mean every word of what'he said in his highly charged
delivery.
G G Swell, an independent MP, was equally emphatic when he
declared that BJP's avowed policy of imposing a ban on cow
slaughter had lost the entire North-Eastern states for whom beef
was the staple source of protein. Sharma from Assam while
acknowledging the steady increase in number of MPs being returned
to Lok Sabha on the BJP ticket over the last couple of decades,
called its growth 'cancerous.'
What was envisaged as an appeal to the nation over the electronic
media by the BJP strategists unfortunately turned out to be a
general dressing down in public by a string of MPs. Some of them
known for their considerable oratorial skill: Chidambaram,
Tndrajit Gupta, Somnath Chatterjee, Banatwala, and Meira Kumar,
the last named refusing to be cowed down by the steady barrage of
heckling by the treasury benches.
Perhaps the most telling evi- dence of the electorate reaching
new heights of maturity was the fact that for the two days of
debate most of those, who could afford to stay at home or find a
brief break from their work, remained glued to th TV, watching
the proceedings of the Lok Sabha totally ignoring the ongoing
cricket test series.
No doubt the BJP has to carry an in-depth exercise and
introspiection to discover the reasons for its splendid
isolation. while it may indulge In doomsday predictions and
prepare to take the battle to the streets exhorting its cadre to
prepare for fresh round of elections, the coming months may prove
them wrong again.
The rationale behind the near total determination of non-BJP
parties to keep it out of power has still not been clearly
appreciated by the BJP's cadre.
The BJP's credibility has seriously been eroded when it
backtracked on its election promises in the President's speech,
such as the abrogation of article 370, giving special status to
Jammu and Kashmir, imposition of uniform civil code and building
of the Ram temple at Ayodhya.
Rath Yatras no longer excite the average villager who has more
tnundane things to attend to, and the minorities as well as
backward classes who have managed to effectively vote the
Congress government out of power are in no mood to give up their
new found clout.
H D Deve Gowda, with the low key image of a simple rustic with no
pretensions to greatness, but possessing a steely resolve, may
yet prove to be the best Prime Minister we have ever had.
Reputed for carrying his team along with him and arriving at
major decisions on the basis of consensus, Deve Gowda
would find Narasimha Rao more than willing to extend full
support of the third largest body of MPs at his command.
Congress would also be more than keen to wipe out once for all
its stigma of an opportunist group, waiting,to pull the rug from
under tile ruling party. This could translate into Deve Gowda
enjoying a mandate for a full term.
One Can only hope, and pray, that the hordes of BJP MPs would
abide by the solemn undertaking given by their leader while
relinquishing his office, that their criticism as opposition
party would at all times be constructive.
At the same time, perhaps, it would be too much to expect from
their activists at the state level to show restraint, refraining
from creating disturbances at the drop of a hat.
For, we can ill afford the antics witnessed in the last session
of the Lok Sabha or major communal/ caste riots, and as happened
at Belgaum and Nalgonda, electorates may register their protest
against the 'three-ring circus,' this time by boycotting the next
elections on a much greater scale.
If nothing else, the television coverage has brought the conduct
of the honourable members of the Lok Sabha directly under the
public gaze and scrutiny, and while it may certainly have the
right to earn the accolades of being the greatest show on the
earth, it must be because of the high quality of debates and not
exhibiting the antics of a just a motley group of expert
itigglers, acrobats and even ex- cellent clowns.
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