HVK Archives: Why BJP fell
Why BJP fell - Times of India
A.C. BOSE
()
27 June 1996
Title : Why BJP Fell
Author : A.C. BOSE
Publication : Times of India
Date : June 27, 1996
THE article, "Voting out Vajpayee" (June 5) by Mr K.R.
Malkani, an influential member of the BJP, makes
interesting reading. Unfortunately, however, it is marked
more by the sincerity of his feeling than by the
sagacity of his analysis. He starts with an effort to
justify the BJP's acceptance of office when it was
obvious that from the beginning it had no reasonable
chance of securing a vote of confidence. He lets the cat
out of the bag when he admits the BJP was banking on a
split in the Congress between 'secular' and 'honest'
Congressmen. Mr Malkani should realise that splits take
place over certain dividing issues like lionosty,
secularism, economic liberalism and so on. One can be
both 'secular' bind 'honest,' as most gentlemen are,
while there are many who are neither secular nor honest.
BJP leaders had expected regional parties like the DMK,
the TDP, the AGP, etc., to come to its rescue but forgot
that the BJP is looked upon by the average Indian as the
parliamentary wing of the 'sangh parivar,' the twin
wheels of whose. chariot are Hindi and Hindutva. Parties
from non-Hindi-speaking regions of India obviously
cannot shake hands with those whose Hindi
chauvinism threatens the status of their mother-tongues.
Then, there is the question of Hindutva which nearly 75
per cent of Hindus do not subscribe to. Besides, the
social stance of the BJP and its cousins smacks of
parochial medie-valism respectful emphasis on virtually
everything belonging to India's past - including
casteism, unteachability, widow-burning, dowry, the
subordination of women - is not appreciated by millions
who want to see India emerge as a modern nation. BJP
leaders reportedly approved of the 1987 hunting of Roop
Kanwar along with her dead husband while the pro-BJP
Jagatguru of Puri has denied women the right of studying
the vedas and some shastras. Mr Advani himself is said to
have found the glory of Hindutva in the alleged sight of
Lord Ganesha "sipping" milk.
No doubt, members of the 'sangh parivar' are disciplined
activists and have played commendable roles during
national calamities and the Emergency. But these
qualities count for little when used to deny millions of
Indians their identity, honour and aspirations and to
retard India's march to the future. We do not want M.P.s
entering Parliament Hall with saffron turbans and scarves
shouting 'Jai Bhawani' and taking their oath in Sanskrit,
nor a party that approaches the 21st century with the
construction of a temple as one of the most important
items on its agenda. Unity in diversity means unity of
diversities. Anyone trying to steam-roll the latter will
not be acceptable to most Indians. To meet this danger
like-minded parties have got together - as they had done
in 1977 and. )989. That is why, like the Congress in both
those years, the BJP now stands isolated.
(The author is a former professor of history, Jammu
University)
Back
Top
|
