Soul searching

Which is why Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhans criticism that the execution of Afzal Guru was hardly an election issue is a sign that the process of constructive criticism is possible. His insight seems obvious enough,but not to a party whose campaign issues preferred the politics of grievance to those of development. However,Varun Gandhis vitoriol didnt polarise Uttar Pradesh to the BJPs advantage: some BJP candidates are now bemoaning the negative impact that Narendra Modi had on their respective constituencies. And a party that believes that hanging a jailed convict is a national vote-winner reduces the potential of Indian politics to self-defeating paranoia. Chouhans noises so far indicate that the BJP might finally be soul-searching,trying to move beyond the trite packagings of hate to more mundane issues of governance.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan is a part of a low-key bunch of state BJP leaders whose unassuming governance has yielded more electoral harvest than hard-edged Hindutva has. Far away from the theoretical postulates of ideological purity,these state leaders have a pulse on the peoples mood and aspirations; they are key to the BJPs future revival. The party would do well to listen to them and imbibe the lessons learnt on the ground.