Believers vs non-believers in BJP

NEW DELHI: The announcement of veteran VK Malhotra as the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate for Delhi at an “inauspicious” time has made a section of the party jittery.

The section believes the timing is not good for their as well as the party’s future in the capital.

The party is vertically split between those who believe in astrology and those who do not and the decision was clearly taken and announced here on Thursday at the behest of the latter.

Party general secretary Arun Jaitley, who addressed the media persons, is among those who do not believe in astrology.

The other, mostly Delhi-based lot, which will be directly affected by the decision, is unhappy.

“Why couldn’t they wait for three-four more days? What difference would it have made if they had made the declaration on the 30th of this month? They have been very thoughtless and negligent,” a party functionary said about the central leaders.

This inauspicious phase called pitrapaksha is to pay homage to forefathers and starts after the month of saawan, according to the Hindi calendar, and ends with the beginning of navratra preceding the Vijayadashmi or Durga Puja festival.

Believers do not undertake any new venture during this period. There are marriages and no appointments are made or accepted.

The BJP parliamentary board, however, met and decided on Malhotra’s name and announced it.

“They made the same mistake in Uttar Pradesh in 1996, when they decided to make Kalyan Singh the chief minister in haste, instead of waiting for a few days for the pitrapaksha to end. Now, the BJP is finished in the state,” he said.

From 174 assembly seats in UP that year, the BJP’s strength came down to 51 in 2007. The party could now meet a similar fate in Delhi, a worker said. He said serious differences and rivalry could arise between leaders and pointed to the absence of general secretary Vijay Goel, who was keen to become the Delhi CM, as an indicator.
Goel made it a point to stay away from the event where Malhotra’s name was announced.

The worker also compared his party’s behaviour with the Congress. “For all the progressive posturing they do, they never make such mistakes. Only, they do it quietly. Do you find them announcing anything now? Even Sonia Gandhi takes care not to step out during rahu Kaal,” he said.
s_rajesh@dnaindia.net