Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh says he did not actually say that the BJP needs chemotherapy; he was misquoted by a television channel. What a pity; that pithy comment well sums up the situation and is a good analogy to make. The BJP does need some drastic treatment and chemotherapy, though painful and with terrible side effects, can often cure the patient by killing off the dangerous cancer cells.
Almost five months after the Lok Sabha elections, when it posted its worst electoral performance in a decade or so, the BJP continues to be in a tizzy as it searches for answers. If the parliamentary elections knocked the wind out of the party’s leadership, the assembly polls in three states almost gave a knockout punch. In Maharashtra the party at least put up a reasonably creditable job, but in Haryana, its wrong judgment call of breaking up with OP Chautala’s INLD resulted in a washout.
Meanwhile, bush fires continue to spread in state units. The Rajasthan imbroglio has barely subsided with Vasundhara Raje taking her own sweet time to quit that another problem has broken out in Karnataka, the only southern state that the party rules.
These are not problems that the BJP can ignore any longer. It is now clear that the rot is not symptomatic, it is systemic. The leadership issue is nowhere near being settled and cannot be postponed any longer. The current president’s term ends in December; by now a new name or a set of names should have been announcedso that the rank and file can look forward to new blood at the helm of affairs. That could galvanise the party units, though of course the new president and his/her team will also have to come up with a cogent plan to revive the organisation.
From being a national party that ran the government at the Centre for six years, the BJP is now reduced to ruling only six states; Karnataka and Gujarat are the only large and significant ones. It has no one of stature at the national level apart from LK Advani. After a very brief show of resoluteness in the Lok Sabha when the new government took office, it has fallen into its typical stupor when it comes to strategy to make the UPA accountable. This is not what a good opposition party should be.
Bhagwat has met Advani and no doubt the party —and the RSS — elders are applying their mind on reviving this slowly fading organisation. For the moment, if not chemotherapy, at least a booster shot is called for.
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