P
By Raj Kumar Bhatia
Like many earlier elections of the states and the Centre, the recently conclu-ded one to the 14th Lok Sabha also shattered the calculations of a large number of political analysts, including almost all the pollsters.
The BJP bore the severest brunt. Obviously the BJP camp must be going through the trauma of disbelief and distress. So can it be concluded that ?feel good? is over for every BJP worker?
Perhaps that committed worker of BJP who got drawn to it because of its ideology is feeling good because now he can carry on his ideology without the ?burden? of keeping governmental power intact and making it ?deliver? the goods.
Perhaps not. Not perhaps for that selfless worker for whom BJP symbolises an ideology, government or no government. Perhaps for him ?feel good? has come back in the form of a new opportunity, which makes his ideological battle more worth-while.
Perhaps that committed worker of BJP, who got drawn to it because of its ideology, is feeling good because now he can carry on his ideology without the ?burden? of keeping govern-mental power intact and making it ?deliver? the goods. Perhaps that tireless worker who is determined to steer ahead without compromising on ideology is really feeling good because the issues which inspire him the most have come to the centrestage of Indian politics with a bang. All said and done, perhaps in party'sdefeat a BJP diehard finds a blessing in disguise because now he can launch on a full-fledged ideologi-cal war with full vigour at his command.
A BJP enthusiast may find at least three issues of great relevance to him?the issues of national ethos, national pride and interest and end of dynastic politics.
For BJP, the ethos is best represented by the phenomenon called Hindutva. The forces which have joined together to form the government at the Centre, taking the advantages of the weaknesses of the democratic process with dubious flaunting of secularism as their main concern, have boastfully claimed that BJP'sdefeat amounts to rejection of Hindutva.
The first one of the three, i.e. the issue of national ethos became the foremost issue for the BJP at least since 1992, the year when the Babri structure was demolished. Since then, an unending debate has been going on in the country on the definition of national ethos. For BJP, the ethos is best represented by the phenomenon called Hindutva. The forces which have joined together to form the government at the Centre, taking the advantages of the weaknesses of the democratic process with dubious flaunting of secularism as their main concern, have boastfully claimed that BJP'sdefeat amounts to rejection of Hindutva. To a BJP worker this provides an excellent opportunity to engage its detractors in a debate to prove to them in particular and the public in general the worth and content of his ideology.
The second issue, that of national pride and interest, is relatively new for a BJP worker. The issue has emerged on the national scene as that of national shame being felt and national interest being mortgaged as a consequence of the occupation of Prime Minister'spost by a person of foreign origin, i.e. Smt. Sonia Gandhi. Till the election results were out, the issue was in the realm of theoretical possibility but soon after, it almost became a hard reality but for the instant outcry and protests made throughout the country. Though the country has got temporary relief, the possibility still lurks. The BJP worker may find it worthwhile to initiate a fight to finish the battle on the issue.
The third issue, that of ending of dynastic politics, is both new and old for a BJP worker. The issue particularly relates to stalling the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty from demeaning India'sdemocracy and heralding of healthy and principled politics. The issue may be as important to a BJP worker as the first two.
(Shri Bhatia is a senior leader of Vidyarthi Parishad and teaches in Delhi University.)
