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Journalism of Courage
It was a chronicle of a resignation foretold. BJP president L.K. Advani, battling party turbulence and personal attack, was widely expected to announce plans for his resignation after the party8217;s plenary in December. What was possibly not anticipated was his incisive and relevant critique of RSS interference in BJP functioning. For the first time in the history of the BJP, a president has shown the courage to confront the Sangh parivar, reminding it that the BJP was ultimately accountable to the people; that while the party had to keep 8220;its basic ideological stances intact8221; it also had to 8220;expand itself to reach large sections of the people outside the layers of all ideology8221;. He argued for the value of party autonomy, which he saw as crucial, not just for the BJP, but for the RSS.
It is of course most unlikely that this pragmatic assessment of political compulsions will force the RSS and outfits like the VHP, which have no direct link to the democratic processes, to engage in introspection on their statements and stances. But it will be unfortunate if the BJP, as a party, does not acknowledge the importance of Advani8217;s words for its own future trajectory. For the BJP, the dilemma as always is this: should it choose to be a contemporary political party, in sync with modern day realities and priorities; or should it remain a mere appendage to the Sangh, faithful to a matrix designed by Nagpur?
