O J’s Corner

BJP’s bonhomie

The BJP is naturally energized after the party was elected the single largest outfit in the Karnataka elections. The situation, it seems to me, is akin to A B Vajpayee’s comeback as Prime Minister after a 13-day stint as the country’s Premier. Sympathy factor had endeared him to the masses. Likewise, poor Yeddiurappa was shown the door by Deve Gowda-and-family company. The people retaliated in the hustings by strengthening Yeddy and tearing down the Gowda bandwagon.

The Congress debacle in States ruled by its leaders is sharpening the strategy of the BJP to find ways to recapture power at the Centre. Vajpayee, with his all-embracing image, although it was a “mukkota” (masque) in the diction of RSS ideologue Govindacharya, cannot aspire to the Prime Minister again, simply because of his ill-health. He cannot drag on with his frail body anymore to rule the country. (That Govindacharya has been dumped is another matter).

It seems times are bright for L K Advani in spite of his Jinnah-hallelujah speech, which initially discomfited the RSS Parivar. But the Parivar is not able to find a finer charismatic leader than Advani to be presented as the Prime Ministerial candidate. Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, Jaswant Singh, Rajnath Singh and the like do not go on a par with Advani on any reckoning.

It seems the BJP is trying to build bridges with Christians and Muslims, notwithstanding the stance of hardcore elements like Pravin Togadia and Narendra Modi.

No one can blame the BJP for fine-tuning the strategy to somehow capture power. The US dispensations are not likely to work for the defeat of the BJP as their interests would be best served by Advani & Co.

Meanwhile, the Congress has to work very hard to contain the inroads made by the BJP in various states. Strategies like bringing back S M Krishna at the last moment to Karnataka politics, without fielding him as a candidate, even as Mallikarjuna Kharge was working hard to elevate himself to the top slot would not work. There should be a CM-to be for a party in the fray. Otherwise the people would take that party to be indecisive.

The skyrocketing prices of crude oil in the international market causing all sorts of difficulties in the economic sector world-wide would be a dampener for any ruling dispensation. Inflation, low purchasing power, lack of income, unemployment etc would foment the anti-incumbency factor.

On the whole, the Congress Party has to sweat it out to gain the next innings.