Vajpayee, up close

Vajpayee was asked whether he felt that his party was overplaying the foreigner issue. “Why should this be an issue?” he asked. “Of course she is a citizen. This debate is bringing us a bad name abroad.” When asked whether he agreed with Venkaiah’s description that he was the greatest, he said it was wrong for Venkaiah to describe him thus: “This is rubbish.” He instantly clarified that Venkaiah has his own style of saying things. On feel good, he said he saw little evidence of it. Asked why he does not check his leaders he claimed leaders do not listen to him.

There are many who say that the sari incident has made Vajpayee emotional. That he has become so worried about his image, that he is nervous about Ram Jethmalani contesting against him in Lucknow. A few claim that the Opposition’s attacks on him over his role in the freedom movement has unnerved him. Several Vajpayee supporters claim that this is typical of him. In the past, too, he has suddenly gone into an emotional tailspin, as he did over the Vikas Purush-Loh Purush episode. In the midst of any controversy he suddenly takes the high middle ground. For instance, when Vinay Katiyar and Pramod Mahajan launched their attacks on Sonia Gandhi, he appealed to leaders of all political parties to keep to “decent” politics.

Vajpayee’s fans claim by suddenly seeming to criticise his party leaders he raises himself above partisan politics. This leads to a piquant situation: He emerges as the ultimate non-partisan leader who towers above everyone else.

The media tends to attribute Vajpayee with sharp political instincts, which perhaps he never possesses. Actually, he seems to be saying the right things at the wrong time. But, strangely, he seems to be getting away with it each time. One reason could be because as a leader he speaks with rare conviction, using his oratory to perfection. Few can match him. And the chord he has struck in the country is not because he is a shrewd politician but one who appears to be speaking straight from his heart.

The BJP must realise that its biggest trump card is a fragile one. Party leaders must ensure that he is not provoked emotionally in any way. The tragic death of 22 women in Lucknow and the vicious attack on his role in the freedom movement seem to have taken its toll. Camera close ups show an agitated and perturbed Vajpayee. The party’s worst nightmare would be a Vajpayee suddenly threatening to opt out of the contest.

For the Opposition, he is an enigma still to be figured out. To voters, it matters little whether his “spontaneous remarks” are part of realpolitik. They are prepared to be swayed by a leader who, as the election enters its final phase, hardly appears swayed by himself.