In The Times of India, Paris-based sociologist Christophe Jaffrelot on the disarray in the BJP and why it has lost the plot despite the fact that there has been a formidable expansion in Hindu nationalism with the BJP ruling in nine states.
Has the BJP already lost the elections? The party has looked shaky since 2008 when it could not win Delhi and lost Rajasthan. The setback showed that the security plank the party had tried to use post 26/11 had misfired. Add to this the nagging headache of factionalism and allegations of corruption. It’s clear the BJP has lost for good its image of “a party with a difference”.
L K Advani, who turned 81 in November, suddenly seems to lack the qualities India expects from a leader these days. And he is definitely not in a position to play the same role as A B Vajpayee in 1999. Last but not least, the Nagpur meeting showed that the BJP was trying to revive the Ayodhya issue, whereas the India of 2009 is not likely to follow the Hindutva agenda of 1989.
[pic: Bryce Edwards' photostream, under the Creative Commons license]
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