Uma namah

Uma Bharati8217;s dramatic outburst at a BJP meeting is more than simply the theatrics of one mercurial leader. Her indignation vividly captures the demons the BJP now has to face. The ironies are monumental: the party that perfected a firebrand style of agitational politics now stands at the verge of being devoured by an agitation within. The party that prided itself on ideological cohesion is now wrecked by personal conflict. The metal of the lauh purush is melting under the heat of Uma Bharati8217;s words. And an entire flock of men who think of themselves as leaders sit impassively through this outburst, alternating between puzzlement and embarrassment, two words that perhaps best describe the BJP8217;s current state.

There is something to the sense of grievance that Uma Bharati has voiced. She was one of the BJP8217;s more articulate leaders even if often dogged by controversy. She relinquished a ministry in New Delhi to deliver Madhya Pradesh to the BJP. She then resigned because court proceedings were underway against her, only be told that she is not welcome to campaign in Maharashtra. She was then half-heartedly offered a post in the party hierarchy, even as many of her colleagues took pot shots at her. She has some reason to be miffed. Margaret Thatcher once famously stated that the old boys club did her in. The question is this: Is the BJP acting more like an old boys club, with its elaborate deceits and protocols?

The threat of significant attrition from the party is palpably real. The irony is that the BJP is now having a difficult time convincing its own hardcore base that it is sincere about Hindutva. Uma Bharati8217;s departure does not help it in proving this. The fact is that the party used Uma Bharati to energise its cadre in its search for power and can now be accused of discarding her when she became an embarrassment to its leadership. As for Uma Bharati herself, whether her style of politics has any place independent of the BJP remains to be seen. Certainly her moves will be watched with interest in the days ahead.