Rout result: Hindutva out, development in

As the BJP considers changes in its structure and ideology, its rout in the Lok Sabha election claimed the first victim on Tuesday when Uttarakhand chief minister BC Khanduri offered to step down. The central leadership has to take a decision whether to accept it.

After the disastrous performance of the party in Uttarakhand, where the Congress bagged all five seats, a section of party MLAs led by former chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari renewed their attempts to remove Khanduri who is said to have been “imposed” on the state unit by the central leadership.

It is from the state units that much of the criticism of party’s approach is coming. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been talking of development and rubbishing the party’s favourite clamour about Afzal Guru. The party’s support for Varun Gandhi and flaunting of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi have also come into question.

At core of all this is the feedback from a large section in the BJP that the party needs to give up minority-bashing and adopt a milder, softer Hindutva line. As the talk in party inevitably turns to “what we did wrong”, the aspects in consideration are all-encompassing, including change in organisation, its structure and ideological line.

A crucial aspect, highlighted by the development in Uttarakhand, is the handling of affairs in state units. In many of the states where the party has suffered, state units have grouse with their leaders.

“These leaders have got their position not because of any mass base but because of their proximity to central leadership,” said a source. “Such leaders fail to enthuse cadres as well as voters. This is the problem in Uttarakhand, UP, Rajasthan and even Bihar where we got seats only because Lalu Prasad’s stock was down,” he added.

All these aspects need to be addressed and sorted out before the new leadership and the face of the party is decided. And, here too, the debate is whether it should be one person or two or a team.

The face chosen has to be in line with the ideological stand the party decides to take. Though the larger section desires a toning down of Hindutva, it may still not be the dominant group. There is an influential section favouring a still stronger Hindu agenda.

There are limits to BJP’s soul-searching, for which the party has found some time by persuading LK Advani to stay as leader, a development prompted by Murli Manohar Joshi’s statement that he was ready to accept the responsibility if it was given to him.
Given the BJP’s genetics, the changes cannot be drastic. The links with the rest of Sangh parivar and elements like the Bajrang Dal and the VHP would remain and the activities of these organisations would continue to reflect on the party’s image.