Assertive Vajpayee

The definitive tone in Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee8217;s valedictory address at the BJP8217;s National Executive meeting was an encouraging sign. He has made it clear that on all matters of governance, it is the will of the government that will prevail. In other words, he has drawn a line between the government and the party. His bluntness was necessitated in the main by the differences that came to the surface at Bangalore. Since the meeting was held against the backdrop of the drubbing the BJP received in the recent assembly elections, attempts to pass the buck were not altogether unexpected. But what was witnessed was much more than that 8212; the existence of two contradictory streams of thought in the organisation. Some of the Sangh Parivar affiliates like the Swadeshi Jagran Manch have been highly critical of the government on issues like the patents Bill and the entry of foreign companies in the insurance sector. Even the RSS has not been enamoured of the government8217;s functioning. Yet, partymen hopedagainst hope that the leaders would be able to reconcile their differences and carry the party forward. Bangalore belied such hopes when the two sides expended their energy instead on picking holes in each other8217;s position. In the end, if the moderates had the last word, as is borne out by the changes in the political and economic resolutions, the credit should go to Vajpayee8217;s intervention.

Given the clout the RSS and its front organisations wield, the victory of the moderates could be ephemeral. It is also unrealistic to expect them to fall in line with the moderates, particularly when they are led by highly opinionated people who see Hindutva where it does not exist. In such a scenario, the government can carry on only by showing them their right place. But far from that, each of them is able to pursue its own agenda even when it brings disrepute to the government. The anti-Christian campaign in Gujarat may be confined to a small population in the state but the price the government has to pay for it willbe quite disproportionate to the misdeeds.

Hindus can never approve of such mindless violence when they justifiably pride themselves on tolerance of the highest order. The disproportionately heavy price the government had to pay for the increase in the price of onions is too recent to be forgotten. After all, what ultimately matters to the voter is how effective a government is. It is on this score that the Prime Minister has to be extra cautious. Vajpayee8217;s announcement that he will visit Gujarat to judge the situation is in keeping with his latter-day assertiveness.

If today the BJP is in power at the Centre, it is mainly due to the projection of Vajpayee in the Lok Sabha elections. This alone should have enabled him to provide meaningful leadership. But except on a few occasions, he has shown himself to be susceptible to the pulls and pressures from within and without the ruling coalition. This has not done government or party any good. While the need for carrying the party with him cannot beoveremphasised, it is a tall order if he has to please every little group that claims some nebulous connection with the Sangh Parivar. He has no option but to show them their place and get on with providing governance.