As BJP looks back in hope, Govindacharya looms over the party

When contacted for his reaction, Govindacharya refused to comment but sources close to him dismissed the offer as ‘‘non-serious.’’ Govindacharya, who was hand-picked from the RSS by Advani in his first term as party chief in the late 1980s, quickly emerged as the BJP’s key ideologue and strategist in the early 1990s.

Credited with crafting the party’s ‘‘social engineering’’ thesis that sought to expand the BJP beyond its urban, upper-caste, middle-class base, Govindacharya also had a way with party workers but fell foul of the leadership, especially Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Although considered Advani’s blue-eyed boy at one time, his tendency to express aloud his misgivings about senior leaders and party colleagues also earned him many enemies. His alleged remark likening Vajpayee to a ‘‘mukhota’’ (mask) was the ‘‘last straw’’ and he was gradually shunted out. Though Govindacharya himself sought leave to go on a ‘‘sabbatical’’ and never resumed membership, his exit was not entirely voluntary.

Sources close to the former BJP ideologue dismissed Advani’s remark as of no consequence. ‘‘Govindji is not living on mars or the moon. If Advaniji was really serious about taking him back, he should have approached him directly,’’ a close aide said.

In other words, Govindacharya—currently busy coordinating with NGOs to promote his ‘‘alternative vision’’ of polity and economy—would not be averse to returning to the party but only on his terms. He has been openly critical of the manner in which the BJP’s ‘‘chaal, chehra, charitra, and chintan’’ (style, image, character and ideology) have deteriorated through the years in power.

While Govindacharya may be sceptical about Advani’s remark, BJP leaders are in a tizzy over its implications. ‘‘Party mein to hulchul mach gayi hain,’’ a BJP insider said, admitting that while many party workers in different parts of the country would welcome his return, most leaders— especially the celebrated Generation Next—were worried about the prospect.

Advani, it is true, made the remark only in response to a direct question but he could have said that Govindacharya had himself left the BJP and not been turned out, a BJP member said.

As a result, multiple meanings are being read into his cryptic comment. BJP sources said Advani, struggling to re-establish his grip on the party organisation, misses the help he got from Govindacharya in his first two terms as president. With the BJP again out of power, the services of the ideologue-cum-organisation man is being felt even more acutely.

Another reason is the February polls in Bihar and Jharkhand. Govindacharya, who started his political career in Bihar, has a vast network of grassroots contact in the state. ‘‘He still has the capacity to galvanise the average party worker, particularly in Jharkhand,’’ a party insider said, hoping that ‘‘Govindji’’ would agree to campaign for the BJP even if he does not join the party.

The Uma Bharati factor is also playing a role. The suspended sanyasin has made no secret of the fact that she continues to hold Govindacharya in high esteem. In her ‘‘negotiations’’ with Advani, she is believed to have underlined the importance of replacing the ‘‘pragmatists and power brokers’’ in the BJP with the likes of committed men such as Govindacharya to ensure the revival of the party.

The odds against his return, though, are high. Vajpayee has still not forgiven him and Advani—who did not stand by Govindacharya earlier—is unlikely to take a decision without Vajpayee’s concurrence. Several other leaders are also wary of the ‘‘loose cannon’’ and will make every effort to ensure that he remains in political wilderness, sources said.