No link between results and rewards: Jaswant

Ideology in BJP is like a football being kicked around with no goalpost. This was an observation made by Jaswant Singh in a letter to the BJP core group on June 9, calling for a review of the party’s performance. The letter is believed to have set the stage for his eventual expulsion over the issue of writing things against the party’s “core ideology” in his book.

“When the top leadership can accept responsibility (for the poor showing), why not those of us who manage the party affairs and its campaign. Is there no link between rewards and results? Or do we claim credit for success and lay the blame for failure at someone else’s door?” Jaswant Singh said in his letter.

This is seen as an attack on Arun Jaitley who was the party’s chief strategist for the elections and was appointed as leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha notwithstanding the party’s dismal showing in the Lok Sabha polls.

Jaswant Singh also questioned the lack of any meaningful analyses to identify the reasons behind the party’s defeat. He said there was no information yet about the factors leading to the party’s defeat in the 2004 elections.