The Vande Mataram controversy may have given the BJP a handle to unleash a political offensive against the ruling Congress.
The party is in dire need of a true leader.
NEW DELHI: The Vande Mataram controversy may have given the BJP a handle to unleash a political offensive against the ruling Congress. But ahead of the party's three-day National Executive meeting at Dehradun from September 7-9, the main Opposition party is faced with a problem of its own.
There is a complete lack of trust among the second generation leaders who are aspiring to take on the mantle of the first generation. The problem is compounded with the RSS's grand plan to completely subjugate the BJP as its political organ, which should function only according to the Sangh's ideological formulations.
Though there are no doubts of BJP president Rajnath Singh getting re-elected for a regular term of another three years, his prolonged indisposition does not augur well for himself and the party he heads. There is a concern among a section of party leaders as the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and three other states are drawing closer. Singh had been UP chief minister and his stakes are high in the politically-significant assembly polls. Given the fact that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has almost retired from active politics and Leader of Opposition LK Advani is slowly retreating, concentrating on parliamentary party's work and intervening in organisational matters only when required or asked to, the role of BJP's second generation leaders has become more important than ever.
Party general secretary Arun Jaitley, who is considered most prominent after the death of Pramod Mahajan, is unhappy. He went into the background after making an excellent speech in Parliament on the Office of Profit issue. He is unhappy with the handling of the nuclear and Natwar issue. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh also punctured the party's plank with controversial contents like the US mole and Kandahar in his book A Ca1l to Honour. Senior party leader Sushma Swaraj, who has often been considered to be challenger to Rajnath Singh for the top organisational post, role on certain occasions has come under the scanner by her own colleagues.
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