HVK Archives: Old fiery self
Old fiery self - The Pioneer
Ajay Singh
()
5 July 1997
Title: Old fiery self
Author: Ajay Singh
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: July 5, 1997
The yatra was an effective mass-contact programme in the States where the
BJP is a strong political force. However, it appeared a political paradox
that in the Hindi-heartland, where the BJP is a substantial force, the
yatra could not generated the same interest and enthusiasm as it did in
West Bengal, Kerala and Orissa.
When Bharatiya Janata Party, president L K Advani embarked on his journey,
it appeared a conscious exercise to rediscover his old fiery self, of the
Ayodhya days. As it was, after one year of political hibernation following
his implication in the hawala case, Advani's yatra was initially viewed
with a certain degree of cynicism.
This was reflected in the beginning of his yatra when he seemed cautious
and restrained in tackling contentious issues. In the southern States, the
BJP leader focussed mainly on issues relating to the nation and society.
The content of his speech used to be oil. ethical values.
Even in Gujarat, where the BJP stalwart was expected to trigger off
fireworks, Advani maintained his calm even in the face of provocation. An
advertisement showing him in the company of notorious scamster CR Bhansali
could do little to change the content of his speeches. He continued to
focus on the subject of "nation-rebuilding" and "corruption".
Advani however, shed his diffidence as he entered Orissa. His full
throated cry of "Jai Shri Ram" and reiteration of his commitment for the
Ram temple in Ayodhya was clearly an articulation of his faith in the
Hindutva appeal. At the same time, it was also an attempt to set at rest
speculation about Advani's retirement from public life. He made this amply
clear in West Bengal and Bihar, where hard politics dominated the ethical
content in his speeches.
Advani's Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra proved to be a "unique political
innovation" in more than one ways. He is right when he criticises his
political opponents for relinquishing the primary tasks of a political
party: mass contact and political education. At the same time, the entire
exercise also helped in galvanising the party's cadre, which tend to become
inert in a dull political climate.
After traversing through the coastal southern States, dusty tracts of the
North and sultry eastern States, Advani will be shortly facing the cool
breeze of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand. The environment may provide Advani
with an opportunity to reflect on his longest odyssey and its political
achievements. The BJP leader can draw "gratification" from the fact that
his rath yatra has made much impact in the States where the BJP is
virtually on the fringes of being a political force.
The response to the yatra in Kerala testifies to the growing
disillusionment of the people with the two main political players - the
Congress and the CPI(M) - in the State. Similarly, the fact that the yatra
evoked popular response in Orissa where the BJP has recently made inroads
proves the wider acceptability of the Hindutva forces in society. In the
tribal belts of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, Advani's chariot drew crowds
which showed a typical veneration for the leader who has virtually
monopolised rath yatras.
The most "pleasant surprise" came from West Bengal where the BJP does not
have even proper organisational structure and leadership. Throughout his
journey in West Bengal, the response was virtually spontaneous. In areas
known as strong bastions of Naxalites, like Gopivallabhpur and Midnapur,
the yatra proved to be much more than a routine political event.
In the northern part of West Bengal, young girls and barefoot women formed
queues on either side of the thickly populated rural tracts for a glimpse
of the leader whose Ram rath in 1990 moulded the political course of the
country. This overwhelming response was an index of the decline of the awe
in which people used to hold the 'Marxists' regime.
Clearly, Advani was not far off the mark when he described his yatras as an
"effective instrument" of political mobilisation. Particularly in the three
States (Kerala, Orissa and West Bengal) Advani's chariot prepared the
ground-work for the BJP to establish itself on a firm-footing. It is a
measure of his political perspicacity that Advani is not under the illusion
that his yatra would catapult the BJP as the main political force in Kerala
and West Bengal. But he is sure that the people's response will be
tactically translated into a strong support base in the due course of time.
In his assessment, the alliance of the Left parties and the Congress at the
Centre has already exposed the dichotomy in the States' politics. It is
not without reason that the cadres of the CPI(M) and the Congress in Kerala
and West Bengal are quite confused over the existing political arrangement
at the Centre.
Evidently, Advani's journey in these Communist-ruled States has given a
fillip to these internal contradictions and thus paved way for the BJP to
play a significant political role. In Orissa, the rath yatra proved to be
an exercise to occupy, the political centre-stage after the vacuum caused
by the death of political stalwart Biju Patnaik. The collapse of the
Janata Dal and gradual erosion of the Congress has left enough political
space for the BJP to assert itself and emerge out of the shadows to capture
the place of political primacy.
The yatra was an effective mass-contact programme in the States where the
BJP is a strong political force. however, it appeared a political paradox
that in Hindi-heartland, where the, BJP is a substantial force, the yatra
could not generate the same amount of interest and enthusiasm as it did in
West Bengal, Kerala and Orissa.
In Bihar, for instance, the curiosity about the motorised chariot was
overtaken by hectic political developments in Patna where Bihar Chief
Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav is under "siege" in the fodder seam.
Apparently, in a politically conscious Bihar, people seem more interested
in knowing about Yadav's antics and the high drama over the seam.
This was evident in the poor turn-out at Advani's Patna rally where the
sprawling Gandhi Maidan remained near empty even when Advani reached the
place around 9 pm, an appropriate time to draw crowds. It also reflected
the loose organisation structure of the party in the State. Advani's
sickness for two days also contributed to the scaling down people's
interest in the yatra which was essentially an Advani-show.
As for the rest of his journey, BJP leaders are sceptical of getting
"overwhelming response" in UP, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab
Apparently, in these areas where the BJP is playing the leading political
role, Advani's yatra is being viewed as nothing more than an exercise to
mobilise the cadre out of its inertia in order to retain its existing
support base.
Among other achievements, the yatra has made a positive impact on the
party's organisational structure. In the course of this journey, inner
bickering and groupism came to the fore at many places. So far as Advani is
concerned, the exercise has gained him a "distinct identity". He has
managed to cultivate his image of a man who is pursuing politics not for
"self-gain".
All along his journey he made a conscious effort to repeat that Atal Bihari
Vajpayee will be the party's prime ministerial candidate if the BJP and its
allies come to power. All this is indicative of the fact that Advani will
not be the same person on his return to New Delhi at the end of his yatra.
He has already re-discovered his old fiery and confident self.
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