HVK Archives: Another yatra
Another yatra - The Times of India
Editorial
()
20 May 1997
Title : Another yatra
Author : Editorial
Publication : The Times of India
Date : May 20, 1997
Seven years after his Ram rath yatra swept the BJP to unscaled heights, Mr Lal
Krishna Advani has set off again, this time with new territories to conquer and a
newer rallying-cry on his lips. Not that there haven't been other yatras in
between - there was a Delhi-chalo one just last year - but this seems the party's
most ambitious yet both in terms of the objective at hand and the area to be
covered. Thematically, too, this yatra is a departure from the past, the party
taking a break from marketing religion to advocating patriotism. Indeed, if the
patriotic flavour injected into the swarna rath yatrais an acknowledgement that
Ayodhya has run its course, Mr Advani's goal seems equally in tune with the
changing times - to win friends and influence voters South of the Vindhyas on his
marathon 15,000 km journey, which is slated to take in its sweep even the distant
Andaman and Nicobar islands. Will he succeed? His timing is right and his slogan
looks right too. If in starting now, Mr Advani is hoping to be able to complete
his mission in time for fresh elections, he should consider the job half done,
especially given the additional strains in the United Front-Congress relationship
following Mrs Sonia Gandhi's political debut. Even on the image front, the BJP is
better off today than it was at the time of the last elections, most of its
leaders having got off the book in the hawala cases. The party's brand new promise
- freedom from bhook, bhay aur bhrashtachar - may sound like one more exercise in
alliterative phrasing. Remember the earlier ones: suchita, suraksha, swaraj,
swadeshi and chaal, chehra, chintan, charitra? And yet, unlike in the past when
it was often on the defensive over its outlandish campaigns, this time around the
BJP seems qualified to target corruption, indeed, even be a little smug while at
it.
As to whether the BJP can win allies down South, it is not clear if a rath yatra
by itself can dispel previously formed notions about the party's anti-minority
orientation. This is a crucial factor because secularism is more firmly
entrenched in the South than in the Hindi belt. Whether it is the TDP or the AGP
or the DMK, the minority vote is a major consideration for southern political
parties and none of them will go along with the BJP unless fully convinced that it
has since reformed on this score. And here Mr Advani has his task cut out. He is
a master orator, as at ease in English as in Hindi, and with his not
inconsiderable persuasive powers, he should make at least some impact on his
intended allies. However, even as the BJP attempts to break fresh ground
elsewhere, there is trouble brewing in its own backyard. In Delhi, a visibly
ascendant Mr Madan Lal Khurana is straining to return to the chief ministerial
post which the current incumbent is understandably loath to give up. The situation
is tricky either way, with one or the other in danger of doing a Waghela in the
event of a perceived injustice. In Uttar Pradesh again, the BSP-BJP alliance is
far from happily positioned with no sign of a let up in chief minister Mayawati's
enthusiasm for carving up more and more districts and naming them all after Dalit
leaders. Much to the chagrin of her partners, she has also been hinting at
reneging on the bargain about passing on the chief ministership to the BJP. The
BJP then has to make sure that it doesn't lose on the roundabout what it has
gained on the swing.
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