Confused saffron

The BJP8217;s prime ministerial candidate wished Mayawati well. Mayawati responded by saying she knew all too well what L.K. Advani was after 8212; apparently he was trying to ensure that the Muslim vote bank looks at her with suspicion when she presents her cheques come elections. Mayawati also said what the CPM now officially says it does not believe in, that Muslims apparently are against the nuclear deal. This newspaper has grave doubts whether Muslims8217; voting intentions can be explained by a single issue. But let8217;s grant Mayawati her thesis. And that produces some marvellous results, the stuff that makes Indian politics so entertaining.

Remember the conventional wisdom of Indian politics: those who have a sporting chance of drawing resources from the Muslim vote bank are called secular parties by themselves and pseudo-secularists by those who apparently are non-favoured customers at the Muslim vote bank. The second lot is called communal forces by the first lot, and the second lot describes itself as nationalist. It follows from this that if Muslims are against something, secular parties are against it too. Knowing this, a Martian landing in India would think the Congress, which has at various points of time ascribed everything but inflation to communal forces, is dead against the nuclear deal. And that the BJP, which at various points of time called everything but anti-inflation policies as minority appeasement, is going saffron in the face saying India must have the deal.

But the Congress, at least the part of the Congress that thinks, is all for the deal and the BJP, at least the part of the BJP that has recovered from the 2004 defeat, is against the deal. So what8217;s the BJP doing pretending to worry about land transfer in Kashmir? They should let 8216;pseudo-secularists8217; have their small victories in Kashmir and elsewhere. and go for the big prize 8212; supporting the nuclear deal. Otherwise, the party better answer what it was doing appeasing minorities all these months.