Only a few months ago, in May, the BJP decided to amend its constitution to give party President Nitin Gadkari another term. But Gadkari is a centre of bitter controversy as the date for formalizing the decision draws near. There are two reasons he is an Albatross around the BJP. He faces a string of accusations against him involving him in having ghost investors, tax evasion and money laundering. Thus he has botched the party’s campaign against Congress corruption. Secondly, Gadkari is at odds with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Assembly elections in Gujarat are at hand and the outcome will impact on the party’s leadership issue. Anyway, the RSS pulls the strings in Nagpur. Gadkari will survive now but may be in trouble in December. Openness and internal democracy are absent in most political parties in India. The BJP is without a sense of direction and weakened by factionalism. Narendra Modi’s strong arm strategy is also a hindrance to the party’s cohesion.
The BJP lacks a totally political complexion. LK Advani was eased out from the Presidency following his involvement in the Jinnah controversy. The RSS has a distinctly non-secular character. It has foisted an entrepreneur on the party as its President. Gadkari does not have the shine of Pramod Mahajan. So, the BJP fails to be an effective opposition party and the NDA is incapacitated without it. The mainstay of the UPA, the Congress is hemmed in with charges of corruption especially harming the economy. But where is the challenger? A repeat of BJP success under Vaijapyee seems unlikely. The country cannot hope for a change, ‘Paribartan’ as Mamata Banerjee called it in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
