In a move that’s likely to kick up a new row inside and outside the BJP, party general secretary Pramod Mahajan has described the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat as the BJP’s ‘‘second regret’’ after Ayodhya and a ‘‘black spot for any civilised society.’’He has also called the ‘‘internal situation in the party’’ the ‘‘third matter of concern.’’ Writing in the latest issue of party organ BJP Today, Mahajan has virtually rubbished the party’s defence of Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of the situation, pointing out that ‘‘we were in the government both at the Centre and in Gujarat.’’ ‘‘We could not, we regret, expedite the construction of the Shri Ram Temple at Ayodhya, though we did try to find out an amicable solution but in vain. Gujarat riot is a second regret for us. It proved a dampener to our resolve to turn India into a riot-free nation. The incidents after Godhra tragedy are a black spot for any civilised society. When this accident occurred, we were in the government both at the Centre and in Gujarat,’’ states Mahajan in his article A smart salute to our Karyakartas on the party completing 25 years (RELATAD STORY). Mahajan then adds: ‘‘The third matter of concern is the internal situation in the party. The shortcomings in the golden history of 25 years are but natural. In retrospect I also recall some not so good memories.’’ He does not elaborate on the ‘‘shortcomings’’ or the ‘‘no so good memories.’’ And in an apparent reference to the rift within the Sangh Parivar over RSS chief K S Sudarshan’s controversial remarks about the BJP leadership in an interview to The Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta on NDTV’s Walk the Talk programme, Mahajan talks of the RSS-BJP relationship going through ‘‘testing times’’. ‘‘Even now, when critics talk about the relationship between RSS and BJP, they forget to appreciate that the BJP came into being with RSS as its soul. BJP is associated with the RSS right from its inception and it will remain so forever. At times relationships do pass through testing times but the BJP is proud of its association with the RSS through thick and thin,’’ he writes. Tracing the rise of the BJP, he mentions the ‘‘three Yatras’’ that ‘‘set the wheels of BJP’s Vijay Rath into motion.’’ ‘‘Among these Yatras, the Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya by Shri Lal Krishna Advani in 1990 was the most noticeable. Even today we recall its thrilling moments. The first Yatra of BJP couldn’t reach its destination, but this Yatra left an indelible mark in the history of our country, our party and even on the life of Shri Lal Krishna Advani.’’ ‘‘It cannot be denied that the Ekatmata Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir by Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and then Swarna Jyanti Yatra and Bharat Udaya Yatra by Shri Lal Krishna Advani were of far-reaching consequences to the Vijay Yatra of BJP.’’ ‘‘The period between 1998 and 2004 is the third important phase in the history of BJP during which it ruled the country under the leadership of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In true sense, his was the first non-Congress Government and first coalition government to complete its tenure. It has broken the myth spread by Congress that no party other than the Congress could provide a stable government.’’ ‘‘This government also took certain decisions of far reaching historical significance. One of the most important decisions taken by the BJP government was to conduct nuclear tests on May 11, 1998. As a result, the whole world started taking India and its voice in a serious manner.’’ On improving relations with Pakistan, Mahajan says: ‘‘BJP government did its best to foster Indo-Pak friendship. Lahore bus Yatra and the Pakistan tour of Indian cricket team played an important role in generating healthy Indo-Pak relations. At that time, Atalji’s government did succeed in containing infiltration in Kargil by Pakistan.’’ ‘‘It is true that complete normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan could not be achieved during the period, yet history would remember the BJP-led NDA government for its bold initiative in that direction.’’ The full text of Pramod Mahajan’s article
