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SPECIAL REPORT The party has never seemed so divided, between its ne^d to rarve out a wider support base and to retain its militant stronghold. Bv INDERJIT BADHWAR this theory. The BJP leaders talk softly, in chance." Familiarity has bred both con- and ZAFAR AGHA the hope of broadening the party power tempt and discontent. base, but the clamour of the VHP and RSS Given these pressures, it doesn't CHIZOPHRENIA within the BJP threatens to drown them out. Unable to seem long before its cadres will force the ranks has never been so acute. Its deal with their fundamentalist pulls, the BJP to clear the cobwebs from its rath Smilitant Hindu constituency still BJP'S image of a parochial party has been yatra model of Hinduism. With the VHP seems a safe bet but a wider constituency reinforced. And if the recently-passed hanging tough on the Ram Janma- beckons. Should the party sacrifice the Places of Worship Bill is any indication, bhoomi issue and flexing its biceps on security of its grassroots support for the the BJP is in danger of acquiring perma- the Mathura and Kashi temples, this benefits of centrist appeal? The answer nent residency status as the party every winter promises to be steamy and to that question may well force the BJP to other group most likes to hate. strewn with communal conflagrations. re-examine its image. The bellicose behaviour of the The immediate spark has been the And it might also belie the claims of party's new parliamentarians has done Lok Sabha approval to the religious party theoreticians that once the BJP nothing to aid the BJP in carving out a places bill. While senior party leader gains a foothold on the centre-stage, its new identity. The dismal performance of LK. Advani condemns it as "unwar- essentially liberal national leadership its governments in Uttar Pradesh, Raja- ranted and uncalled for", VHP President will edge out the more radical majority. sthan and Madhya Pradesh is no help Ashok Singhal sounds threatening. The argument is that whenever the BJP is either. Ridden with administrative inep- "Withdraw the bill or face the conse- isolated from mainstream politics, it is titude, dissidence, corruption, over- quences," is his response to the Govern- garrotted by the stridency of its cadres. centralisation, and an inability to come ment. VHP'S governing council has cal- But once it enters the national to terms with the minorities, the govern- led upon the Hindu samaj to arena, the leaders take control and ments have made nonsense of the force the Government to saner counsel prevails. The current sce- party's vote-netting catchphrase— withdraw the bill. nario, however, seems to be devastating "You've tried others, now give us a In fact, both the BJP BJP leaders speak softly but the VHP and RSS clamour seems threatening. and the VHP fully agree thai ihc bill must be opposed. What they are yet to IN PARLIAMENT dualise is the strategy. The BJP is doing its best to steer past the pitfalls of launching new agitations for the Unruly Behaviour KrishnaJanmabhoomi --in Mathura andKashi temple. Says Advani: "The BJP has never spoken about any place of EMPERS fly thick and fast in RSS and Bajrang Dal. Even senior BJP worship other than Ayodhya. The VHP, Parliament these days. _ Freq- leaders are distancing themselves ot'coarse, has been speaking about other Tuent free-for-alls, fisticuffs and from their colleagues' antics. "We places of worship." physical abuse are the order of the have on occasion been unable to The VHP, in fact, may try to generate day. And restraint seems to be the curb the militancy of new members," enough smoke from the two simmering last thing on the minds of the elected admits L.K. Advani. While Jaswant controversies to deflect attention from representatives of the people. Largely Singh, the soft-spoken, erudite MP the prolongedRamJanmabhoomi blaze. responsible for this melee is the BJP, from Jodhpur, says "they need time In the meantime, however, the VHP the very party that prided itself on the to adjust". Now, orientation courses appears to have finalised November 19 discipline of its cadres. If anything, its as the date for construction, to take the greatest proclaimed virtue has today wind out of its critics' sails- -who in the become its most glaring lapse. forthcoming Lok Sabha by-elections, Taking a cue from „, ,v"^,-s "^ are bound to harp on the BJP'S failure to fulfil its pledge on the Ram temple. But as it is only at the ahilanyas site, which is away from the disputed shrine, this seems to be a mere ruse. ECAUSE, despite the shrill theatrics of the BJP'S pre-election propa- Bganda, and its own government in Uttar Pradesh, the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is yet to come about. Advani says he woulu like the temple to be constructed without gener- ating any acrimony or precipitating a confrontation. Echoes BJP General Sec- retary Govindacharya: "History will firebrand Lima Bharti, BjpMPs, espe- are being conducted for them. bear witness to our interest in and cially the new entrants, have en- The more rabid section of the BJP commitment to the temple. But we have gaged in venomous attacks against clearly disagrees. Some are for adopt- always talked of playing only a support- rival parties. More disturbingly, they ing an eye-for-an-eye policy. Others, ive role in building the temple." have been resorting to physical vio- like Guman Mai Lodha, associate In fact, senior BJP leaders seem keen lence of an unprecedented nature in restraint with insult. Uma Bharti ag- to use a weapon they didn't think much the House. Consider this: rees, saying she'd rather retaliate of earlier in resolving the Ayodhya >• In early August, BJP members than observe parliamentary niceties. tangle: negotiation. Atal Behari Vaj- stormed the well of the House, de- The BJP feels it has been singled out payee, for instance, has tried to requisi- manding an apology from Tourism for attack. "One member jokes about tion the services of a key member of the Minister Madhavrao Scindia for Hanuman, another about Lord Ram. Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana branding them "anti-national". How'11 they react if we talk about the Ali Mian. He met Ali Mian in Lucknow >• The next day, party ranks at- Prophet similarly?" asks Lodha. recently and asked him to convince tempted to storm Scindia'sresidence. Clearly, religion is a major gr- Muslims to untie the knotty issue. > The same month, nearly 15 BJP ouse. Says socialist leader Madhu storm-troopers closed in on Janata Limaye: "Their only point is the Ram Dal MP Syed Shahabuddin for saying temple. Poverty, illiteracy or events "Swami bakwas M baat kar raha hai". in the Soviet Union mean nothing." The reference was to the BJP'S Swami Ironically, despite the array of Chinmayanand, who was then spea- talent the first session of the 10th king on the Places of Worship Bill. Lok Sabha will be remembered not >• And on September 9, BJP MPs for Vajpayee's brilliant speech on the sought to assault Janata Dai's R.S. confidence motion nor for Jaswant Shastri for his remarks on Lord Ram. Singh's incisiu attack on the deci- This new, volatile face of the BJP sion to defer the Punjab polls. The has shocked veteran parliamentari- impression that lingers is of pande- ans. Many attribute it to the fact that monium; of the raucous cries of Jai the 117-strong BJP contingent com- Shri Ram raised by the rabid saffron prises a motley pack picked from the brigade. —JAVED M. ANSARI 41 SPECIAL REPORT BJP GOVERNMENTS But sweet-talking the prominent is a portent of this: "The country will MOUNTING PROBLEMS Muslim leaders has not won over their have to decide whether the Muslim backing as yet. So the BJP has increas- lobby will rule India or the Hindu sants' ingly been relying on the VHP to buy opinion will prevail/' Singhal says that land around the disputed shrine. The the religious places bill was pushed Uttar Pradesh Government is expected through because the Congress(I) had to take over the Babri masjid with an struck up an understanding with IUML ordinance, backed by a statement from leader G.M. Banatwala: the Congress(I) some Muslim leaders that they will be would initiate the bill if the Muslim ready to relocate the masjid to a Muslim- League supported it in the assembly majority village called Makkha. 1.5 krn elections in Kerala. from Ayodhya. Advani speaks in a similar vein: It is then that the BJP-VHP combine "The recent bill certainly gives an will work in concert to draw maximum edge to the BJP campaign against mileage from its "fulfilled promise". pseudo-secularism." But this unin- When the Central Government and the tended advantage does not make him rest of the Opposition oppose the take- happy, he says, because it adds to dis- over bid, the two will launch a veritable harmony. Perhaps it is this caution, born war of words to paint them as of the nation's tenuous pre- less saffron—and therefore, sent and the fear of elections in in their book, less patriotic— the near future, which is as- than them. serting itself. As party Vice- Singhal's recent remark President K.R. Malkani puts UTTAR PRADESH • Ministers and lower • Files not moving; mi- level officials have little nisters are disgruntled access to chief minister and partymen unhappy • Bureaucrats favoured • Arbitrary decisions by Kalyan Singh call all are taken without the the administrative shots ministers' knowledge • Promulgation of a new • Resentful students, ordinance on UPSC job backward castes threa- reservations hanging fire ten new agitations • Muslims feel insecure • Fears of new commu- over Ayodhya

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