Sudheendra Kulkarni Analyses the Elections
Sudheendra Kulkarni has an insightful and candid analysis of what went wrong for the BJP and what it needs to next in the latest issue of Tehelka. We recommend reading the entire column. The conclusion: “The BJP can indeed bounce back. But it can do so only if it first renews and empowers itself comprehensively — in its ideology, its geographical-social spread, its own political strength, its mass activity, its alliance-building, its cadre-based organizational network, and its leadership.”
June 7, 2009 | Filed Under Sudheendra Kulkarni
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83 Responses to “Sudheendra Kulkarni Analyses the Elections”
I was extremely impressed by the BJP’s IT Action Plan during its election campaign, there were many more agendas and ideas. Infect if you look at the website lkadvani.in, citizens across India have poured their heart out. And it was obvious that after the defeat of the party a Blame Game has begun. There are many issues which are emerging as the reasons for the downfall of the party in these elections but as a political observer (my friends and foes have made be a permanent observer) I thought to share a few thoughts which I feel are gaps from a long term prospective:
1.Family Politics - The party which was democratic in its structure is now showing the signs of family politics. We know that children of Jaswant Singh, Vasundhrareje Scindhia (including her daughter’s son), Menaka Gandhi have all been promoted. So, how can the party claim that the party is not at all about family business.
2.The other factor which the party needs to introspect is the age factor. While the other parties projected many young faces the party got limited with same old faces. The party leaders who are known for giving way to new ideas must make way for the new leaders as well. The message is even if you are not tired you must retire. (remember tire / retire speech by Atalji). Just a thought that what stops the party to play a political scoop by making all its leaders retire at age of sixty. (or at least seventy)
3.Another reason I believe may be harmful is the emergence of Coterie culture within the party. The party today is headed by many strategist but there are few mass leaders. Majority of the central leadership is from Rajya Sabha and few of them who are from Lok Sabha have fought their elections from the safest seats. The question is that if such leaders wanted to ensure success of others and that is why they are not contesting Lok Sabha election then why do they want to enter Parliament through the Upper House route. I feel that the upper house should become the true house of elders where in the Senior leaders find their way and not the young ones. The young have to contest and enter.
4.The party may be rhetoric about the fact that the developments (their were two kinds of developments) in Gujarat have no consequence on the party as they have won elections twice after that. The party lives in a mirage that the media reports about them may not have any consequence to them. But the party must realize that a short gain in Gujarat has lead to a big loss across the Nation. The media reports may not have affected Gujarat but they have affected the rest of India. In nutshell politics of extremism has no place in India - anymore.
5.Another factor which the party is suffering from is that of NPA or the Non Performing Assets (read as Alliances here). The party has suffered a lot because of its alliance partners in some states like Maharashtra, Haryana & Punjab. Though the other parties like the Congress may not have gained due to the TINA (there is no alternative - alternatives were present) factor but their major gains have been because of the TITA (There is terrible Alternative). So the BJP has to introspect that is that because of their alliance partners in some states , did they presented a terrible alternative before the citizens.
6.Further there are state specific incidents which have lead to the image dent. The party puts such issues under the carpet but even if these issues are of no significance in the local politics they have a great significance in the National Politics. The Maharani style of rule in one of the state, the pub incident in another, the victimization of Biharis by alliance partners in another state do not present a good picture of the party. The youth today looks forward to an inclusive party.
7.The party leaders also have to look into their image make-over where as some of the leaders of the other parties are seen with a bullock in fields (remember Dr. YSR Reddy in AP), staying in a small hut in a village, raising the concerns of kalavati. Bu the BJP party presented a glamorous CM doing catwalk in a fashion show. There are more cine-stars in the party then leaders. Does the party wants to convey that we need people who can act ? The party brings a popular star from from Mumbai, make her contest from Chandni Chownk and after the loss the cine-star is back to her work in Mumbai. We all must remember India is a country where the image counts a lot. Even a Home Minister had to quit for changing his clothes - thrice in a day. So, if the BJP leaders want to part of the Page three in the newspapers they for sure will loose their relevance on Page One.
8.The lack of effective state leader is another cause wherein the party at state level is snubbed. Say out of magic wand the party has to appoint (read the difference - I have not used the word elect) a Chief Minister in a particular state. There may not be even single name that may come out of states like Haryana, Punjab, Orissa, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and so on. Even if there are some BJP faces in these states, atleast people are not aware of them. Further it is a very bad precedent that instead of the Legislative party electing its Chief Minister, the CMs are sent from the centre. And the party criticizes the double power centers.
9.The missing roots in RSS is also a cause of concern. People in India have to be informed that RSS is not about serving the Hindus but about serving the nation. RSS may also gave to probably give its love for Saffron and Khakis and re-invent itself. It is a fact that each party has to re-invent itself after some time. It is only crocodiles who cultivate in the stagnant waters.
10.In the current elections the focus remained on the negatives of the current Government may also not have benefited the party. A good opposition telling the people the areas where the Government failed, but the citizens must have realized that where was this principle opposition party for the five years and why it did not educated us then.
11.The party has to also bring in more diversity and inclusiveness in its agenda - Christians, Women, Youth, Farmers, Tribal etc are not seen in the united colors of BJP. And the party also has no person which represents to the people about the party’s respect for differently abled people. We must remember that in the oath taking ceremony of this Government the loudest applause was for this spirit for humanity. The same represented the human face of party
12.The Senior party leaders are so busy in their own pie of power that they are not even grooming future leaders. It was grooming by Atalji and Advaniji that we see so many faces in BJP today. But is the current generation preparing the generation next of the party or the same is again left to Advaniji to prepare even his third generation.
13.The conflicting views on many issues like Khandhar, Jinnah, Varun are exploited by the other parties to a great extend and the party has to become sensitive on such emotive issues.
14.Another gap which is emerging is about inner party democracy, it is a surprise that instead of the Parliamentary Party electing the leader of Opposition / Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha - they are now nominated by a similar high command. We must realize that inner party democracy was the foundation of the party and if the foundation becomes weak the building will fall.
15.The inner conflicts in the party have risen to the extent that the party with a difference now appears to be Party with Differences. Further the treatment met with Ms. Uma Bharti is enough to convey to the whole nation that every voice of dissent against one leader will become silent in the party. We must realize that every team will have difference of opinions which need to be addressed (and not different egos)
16.Also it is strange to see that BJP politics is also becoming a ground for developing the rebel faction of the Gandhi family. The party needs to introspect that were these leaders brought into the party because of their work or their surnames. BJP had never been a party of SIRNAMES
17.Another factor is that the party now must realize that it is a time to go alone nationwide. The short term loses must be looked from long term gains.
18.The party must look into the fact that the actions speak louder than words. There are many party spokesmen who go and win arguments on TV Channels but the party must realize that are these leaders of some value beyond the TV rooms. The decisions of the party should be through the ground level leaders and not through the debtors on TV channels.
19.The party is full of generalists, every person comes out and give replies on any topic in the country. Why does not the party has a specialist to answer the specific queries. Say all queries related to Finance goes to one leader, of governance goes to another and so on.
20.The party has to also reflect to people that it is a constructive opposition and not a opposing opposition. The party must come out strongly on the reform agenda of the current government and resist only on areas which are not interest of people. Resisting everything is resisting development and interests of citizens.
Lastly the party leaders have to live up to their commitments at least to their volunteers. If a party leader was seen as saying that whatever may be the results we will meet again… and if the meeting has not taken place, the leadership will see very few volunteers in the next elections. Remember that it is a time that all the thoughts captured online have now to be implemented offline at least in BJP ruled states. Finally the party must look forward to individuals who want to serve rather than leaders who want to contest or be a minister.
I agree with the comments made above.. especially point 4. What bjp should understand is that, politics of hatred may win them in some places, but they will lose more in all other.. like varun can win pilibhit, modi can win gujarat.. but their actions as well as speeches hurts the party in rest of india..
Sameer, you are eloquent. I couldn’t disagree with any point. All the points have hit our public perception at one time or another.
To know hindutva or no-hindutva, one solution is to split BJP right in the middle. One should be called BJP(ER, Extreme Right) and the other BJP(CR, Center Right). BJP (ER) will have all those who believe in drinking cow’s urine instead of coke, sati, longoti and the other BJP(CR) is Vajpaye type, moderate and modern and support only baniyas.
These parties contest election but don’t contest each other. This is most logical to do..
I agree with , Kulkarniji ,
Throughout the period of 2004 to 2009 the BJP was missing as a principal Opposition party in parliament . During this period the only success was wins in Gujrat , MP , Chatisgarh and ofcourse the most sparkling one in Karnatka . We were on right path but some were we missed in the end I think We ” CHOKED ” in the end . We have to again start as a leading and responsible Opposition party in parliament and from there the steps will lead us to power . BJP was a force in 90’s as a Opposition party , let us re-invent first ouselves as a Opposition party.
The tag which BJP was once proud ” A party with a difference ” is suddenly on the back -burner rather almost dumped . Indiscipline , Feud , One-upmanship , Ego , have taken front seat with Organizational culture and behaviour on the backseat .
Promotion of Dynastic politics is also leading it to Congress ” B” tag .
Yes indeed we need a new look , new thinking , new enthusiasm and a new leader but certainly not at the cost of the original roots and ideology of Hindutva .
We need to spread the message that the term ” Hindutva” it self is secular , inclusive, equality , progressive , non-violence and that is the culture of Hinduism .
Lastly we need to increase the geographic presence throughout the country. This may not happen overnight but the begining will have to be done with small steps and this can only happen with increase in cadre and organisation base , here the youths rather teens ( 14/15 yrs) will have to be roped in . This teens will be te new voter in 2014.
Regards ,
Ajay Tripathi
THIS HINDU PARTY IMAGE IS HURTING BJP TOO MUCH. PLEASE CHANGE AND REINVENT YOUR IDEOLOGY AS IT IS TAKING BJP NOWHERE.
I think sudheendra kulkarni and sudipto gupta must stop falling prey to cheap publicity on the congress channels like ibn, ndtv et al. their appearance and participation is only counter-productive. I hope they realize that soon.
This site has become one big lamentation…and breast beating and analysis, it is almost like being there at the death of a loved one.
Finally our old friend Kulkarni gets it right, pity it is post elections, imagine if we had gone by his pre poll predictions he would have been minister to GOM or something akin to that. Or at least Ambassador to Rwanda.
Unfortunately his pre-election pieces were models of intelligence albeit ineffective, hope at least this analysis bucks the trend.
In this article, his reasoning is right and for the right reasons. I find it hard to find fault with his excellent analysis, may God grant him the facility of converting that analysis to action.
As an aid to that, I guess he should leave that AC room and join the dust of battle. It is rarely that non fighters can be succesful strategists, however intelligent they sound.
Sameer Sachdeva’s is an intelligent lament. He is candid and logical, at least most of the time.
His 20 point programme should be the programme of the party. Unfortunately for you Sameer, dynastic politics is here to stay until the dynaty itself botches it up. Hi Varun, do keep up the monkey image that is your particular heritage, we are amused.
SJ is right, the BJP has been penny wise and pound foolish. If Siva is comic, so is Chirag.
Ajay Tripathi is right, the BJP needs to stay in the public realm even when it is down and out.
Constant and intelligent criticism of the government on a daily basis will not only enhance the party’s image, but will show the people that it is hanging on.
And sometimes this is the most important thing you need to do in a underdog situation. If you are the underdog,play that role well and the people may be more sympathetic to you, which could mean future votes.
I am a congress supporter. But as an Indian I would like a strong opposition party who can keep govt on its toes.
I think what BJP has to realise is that Indian electorate has changed a lot.
‘Aspiration’ is the buzz word now. The foremost thing they want is economic prosperity. Religion, regionalism, caste etc such issues are there but they are secondary and the way India is gaining economic prosperity, economy will become an even bigger political issue along with governance etc.
So to me BJP right from today should focus on how it is going to Project itself for next 5 years. Firstly they should elect a young leader today. I personally don’t think Modi can be that person. His politics is divisive. I don’t know who that person is. But more importantly form a team. Something like a shadow cabinet in UK and let people know today itself who their candidate is for Home minister, Finance minister, defence etc. Then let these shadow ministers go out in their respective fields, do a lot of research, find issues, keep watch on what govt is doing and propagate to people how they would do things differently.
The most important thing here is that people should know what team BJP is and what does it stand for in these respective fields. If govt comes out with a policy, the relevant BJP shadow minister should straight away present his view on the issue and how it is different from govt. And if he/she is saying the right thing, Media will be forced to listen.
BJP fought this election as banking on Advani’s popularity and image. But quite frankly he was never upto it. 10-15 years younger advani could have done it but not somebody who is 82-83 years old.
The next election has to be projected as TEAM BJP fighting it out on real issues having done thorough research assimilating expert opinion and advice on these issues.
If you are talking sense media will be forced to listen and so would people
Sudheendra Kulkarni and Swapan Dasgupta are two of the latest cowards who dont have the b&*lls to face adversity. They seek the easy way out that cowards among Hindus have historically done; blame the genuine brave ones within their own.
These two clowns are blaming Modi and Varun Gandhi again and again. Throw these a-holes out of the party.
Friends of BJP is being reduced to Enemies of BJP by the inclusion of such freaks.
Sudheendra Kulkarni and Swapan Dasgupta are two of the latest cowards who dont have the b&*lls to face adversity. They seek the easy way out that cowards among Hindus have historically done; blame the genuine brave ones within their own.
These two clowns are blaming Modi and Varun Gandhi again and again. Throw these a-holes out of the party…
Friends of BJP is being reduced to Enemies of BJP by the inclusion of such freaks.
Sudheendra Kulkarni and Swapan Dasgupta are two of the latest cowards who dont have the b&*lls to face adversity. They seek the easy way out that cowards among Hindus have historically done; blame the genuine brave ones within their own.
These two clowns are blaming Modi and Varun Gandhi again and again. Throw these a-holes out of the party…
Friends of BJP is being reduced to Enemies of BJP by the inclusion of such freaks…
i am really wondering if this was the thought of the man behind advaniji and no doubt that he lost.
for those who blamed varun and modi :
how many more seats do you think you could get in delhi,rajasthan , uttaranchal,mp ,punjab ,assam and orissa had they were not in picture. or do you think bjp could have won some seats in AP,TN,WB,kerala,J&K without varun and modi.
why not you answer by number of more seats you could have gained from the above states before blaming varun and modi. yes varun’s speech could have contributed for some 8-10 more seats to congress by helping to consolidate muslim votes for congress in UP (but substract 2 he and his mother won). but these were seats that anyway belonged to maya or yadav potentially much more dangerous to nation than congress. no loss to bjp.
and for those minority loving brigade just answer me this:
1. how many hindus voted against bjp because they perceive it against muslims or christians.?
if people voted against bjp it was because they found the alternative better for economic reasons as against a divided bjp with no clear message.
i wonder if only sudhurji and swapanda voted/were considering to vote against bjp for factors like modi,varun and bjps apparent hostility towards minorities.
2. do you really think bjp can win any muslim votes. if yes they need to:
a.) demand hanging of modi instead of afzal.
b.) immediate jail for advaniji and other top rung bjp leadership for destroying the mosque and rebuilding of the mosque.
c.) increasing quota for muslim .
if bjp cannot do that there is no need to think about minority votes just think about majority and don’t create situation that minorities are too much pushed to vote for congress in block at least not more than you can push the majority to vote for bjp in block.
However one thing remains a serious issue : 1.disunity of bjp/rss ranks: if sangh members themselves are not able to convince each other then what is the purpose of going to convince voters.
2. lack of sophisticated approach in convincing voters.
Final analysis: BJP is really not needed without hindutva agenda. it is not needed for simple reason of opposing congress. regional and caste based outfits will better take care of it and they will be better positioned than bjp to destroy congress.
Mr. Kulkarni,
I have great regards for you, especially you having IIT background, but I will completely disagree with you in certain points.
BJP’s abandoning Hindutva, is like pizza-hut with out word pizza, so if BJP gets rid of hindutva, then the party can be dissolved. Is being Pro-Hindu means anti-Minority? So why should BJP be ashamed of being pro-Hindu. BJP has to create Hindu vote bank, being pro-Hindu with punch of Development, high ethics and Anti-Dynastic. BJP can clearly state it’s for Development of All and Appeasement of none and will uphold Indic heritage.
If BJP abandons the Hindutva, it will be as good as SP/BSP. It will loose all faithful supporters.
BJP will never get minority votes for that it has to be put many leaders in jail, start minority appeasement policies be pro-conversion and I will tell you that still BJP will never get minority most votes. So stop dreaming of minority votes and start getting majority votes.
BJP should stay firm on being Anti-Conversion and anti-minority appeasement policies, Anti-Casteist politics (i.e. reservation) and pro-development. They should device all caste inclusive reservation policy only for BPL, and should be against Casteist policies. They need to communicate to people that being Casteist is going to do more harm to them rather than good and start consolidation hindu votes. They should vehemently get rid of Ram Sene and Bajrang Dal associations and other hooliganism activity but for that one does not need to be pseudo –secular and do minority appeasement rather stand for what you think is right.
Any party that wins elections, has to have 2 types of voters, its core supporters and fence sitters or swing voters. Every party must try to increase its core support and get maximum swing votes. If you loose core supporters you can never win elections. You have to get fence sitters in your group without antagonizing core supporters. Congress has Christan and Muslims as core supporters and BJP has hindus (may be only 25%), BJP needs to make decision whose votes they need. Also Congress got All its core supporters some swing votes (I think its miniscule) but divided BJP swing voters.
This election we got 116 that’s because Some Hindus still believed in BJP. Where ever we lost is because hindu votes got fragmented. We need to consolidate that and increase our presence in 1/3rd of the country i.e. AP/WB/Kerela/TN. This is very important. Each state has its own challenges but I think AP and TN can be good target followed by with WB and kerela, where we can play spoil sport.
Bottom line if BJP becomes dynastic and pseudo-secular, why need of BJP at all we have congress for it.
Regards,
S.Chatterjee
This is so evident.
Sudheendra Kulkarni and Swapan Dasgupta are two of the latest cowards who dont have the b&*lls to face adversity. They seek the easy way out that cowards among Hindus have historically done; blame the genuine brave ones within their own.
These two clowns are blaming Modi and Varun Gandhi again and again. Throw these a-holes out of the party…
Friends of BJP is being reduced to Enemies of BJP by the inclusion of such freaks…
Completely illogical article written by a coward.
Sudheendra Kulkarni and Swapan Dasgupta are two of the latest cowards who dont have the b&*lls to face adversity. They seek the easy way out that cowards among Hindus have historically done; blame the genuine brave ones within their own.
These two clowns are blaming Modi and Varun Gandhi again and again. Throw these a-holes out of the party…
Friends of BJP is being reduced to Enemies of BJP by the inclusion of such freaks…
If BJP abandons Hinduism (Hindutva, it’s the same thing, whether anyone likes it or not), then tens of millions of Hindus will abandon BJP. From 116 seats, it is likely to go down to even 0.
Modi & Varun are modern-day Abhimanyus, Arjunas and Krishnas. We cannot abandon them, we need to respect them and take care of them. They will be able to protect us if we can protect them, my genuinely Hindu friends.
If BJP abandons Hinduism (Hindutva, it’s the same thing, whether anyone likes it or not), then tens of millions of Hindus will abandon BJP. From 116 seats, it is likely to go down to even 0.
Modi & Varun are modern-day Abhimanyus, Arjunas and Krishnas. We cannot abandon them, we need to respect them and take care of them. They will be able to protect us if we can protect them, my genuinely Hindu friends…
I heard that you were part of the speech written for Mr Advani abt Jinnah.
I feel pity why he had you in this election campain core team. Looks like BJP does not have able man.
They can beg from RSS,
Higher education doesn’t defacto impart wisdom does it? Pigs don’t fly and Mr. Kulkarni please don’t bring your ever apologetic face on TV again(in national interest please).
Being pro hindu is not communal is it? I mean congress is assertive and unapologetic for being pro muslim( reservation based on religion, muslims first right on resources etc.,)and it won!! on the other hand BJP’s neither here nor there stand cost it badly I “imagine”.
As far as I can recall BJP had maintained that the varun’s video was doctored and it disassociated itself from the content. So to think that BJP cud have swept UP had it endorsed the content whole heartedly is also valid
So people have chosen a regime that is pro crony capitalism, pro do nothing, pro keep poor as poor so lets enjoy it for the next 5 years.
Sudhindra Kulkari is trying to play the scapegoat.
If you were the strategist and advisor for Advaniji, why could not you smell all these things then? We dont require columnists like you or any other. One clear direction from leaders like Arun Jaitley, Narendra Modi etc to have a strong youth base across India is enough.
I wish Advaniji and others understand it. I have never seen a chief strategist of a party and its leader talking too much to escape from core responsibilities.
I see no issues atall with the present way of operation in BJP. Hindutva is the very word which has to be explained to people over and over again.
The pseudo secuiralist should understand the basics of Hindutva and BJP must question the integrity of those who without knowing the meanings turn back and spread ant-BJP campaign.
If most of you remember, during the 6 years of NDA rule, it was a wide discussion across sections of Indian society that this govt has many many astute leaders and there was a leadership crisis in congress party. Many many people started to admire the corrupt free, futuristic , forward looking govt.
But then managing the electorates, holding on to it, increasing the base of a perty as a continuous exercise must have been done well.
Congress has a base of 60+ years and those corrupt leaders know how to play the aam admi card, minority card, free power card etc etc.. BJP should work hard to regain the prestige and faith that people of this country reposed on the party and its honest leadrship.
There is nothing that sudhindra kulkarni has to do in it. I had seen opportunism in cheap politics, but never has I seen such strategists playing cheap cards on behalf of the opponents. Who knows its not congress game again.
BJP can and will survive and excel. Lets stop all these intrpspections over why BJP failed rather unitedly work as rsponsible citizens of the country by asking any govt to better the situations of the people and environment. Thats only possible by having an invincible opposition.
Let all intellectuals question the govt for every decision that it takes. Lets question eacha nd everything and have a true right to information.
BTW does any congress supported media say anything on what happenned to the - cash for vote scam in parliament last year? Does any media or their fellow statiscians enquire the changing theory of probability and statistics when in the final round of counting Chidambaram emerged from no where? Why the pre poll or post poll analysis of these self proclaimed leading channels failed miserably? Its not once or twice. Its the case with our unfortunate democracy. Everything is tampered and will be tampered again and again by this ruling party. It can play every possible game to hide biggest of big scams in the history of India under the carpet.
Jaagore.. Jaago.. Its not BJP’S failure. Its the insatiable appetite of the 62 + years of corrupted party to win back at every cost.
I feel all of us should fist question the undemocratically elected PM of our country. Dare him face the electorate once. I bet he can only win through malpractice may be , but not through the actual and ideal means.
Mr Kulkari, with all respect I request you to advise the party leadership to play a constructive and useful opposition role without turning any stone unturned. Everyone would expect you to play a bigger role than that as well. But please dont fall trap in the hands of dirty congress politics.
This guy Sudheendra Kulkarni is the reason for a lot of problems that BJP has had with image. He is giving wrong advice consistently to Advani. He and Swapan Dasgupta could be on the Congress payroll on the sly, with an agenda to destroy the BJP in a “Trojan Horse” kind of way.
These two guys have been blaming Modi and Varun again and again.
Incidentally, Modi and Varun have manager their own turfs pretty well in this election. So what’s your f&*king point, Sudheendra.
THROW SUDHEENDRA OUT OF BJP. HE’S A TRAITOR.
Sukhvinder is right, Sudheendra is working on behalf of the Congress, it’s evident from the way he is trying to defame Modi, Varun and the BJP.
Throw out this traitor before it’s late.
@FAN,
You are right. We dont want traitors to be in the party and have pseudo strategists l;ike many other roaming around the dynasty politics of congress.
I invite, I repat I warmy invite any of those self proclaimed youth leaders of congress MPs to come and have a face to face debate with the youth leaders of BJP. Come and dare a national debate with is - The BJP Friends and Fans. I assure you we will put so many important questions having long drawn national importance. Please come prepared and face the nation with us.
I am so dissapointed to see the non performing leaders again getting important portfolios. Inexperienced MPs holding even important portfoilos. If BJP wants, it can easily be in driving seat and let people know about the poorest governance of congress so far. But thats not to be.. without sudhindra kind of strategists.
What Crap Comments?
Yes Piyush, sach hamesa kadwa lagta hai.
Congress party lures the uneducated youth of this country to join the party and campaign for it.
Educated youth who want to join politics but know they cant get a ticket so easily but want to be an MP right from day one are being lured by congress by getting false assurances that they will be getting tickets very soon.
Educated NRIs and POP MOM guys and girls having crores and crores of money to invest for a ticket are easily getting the MP and MLA positions right away.
This is what is called congress’s youth leadership.
Can Congress party explain to the nation if a social worker, poor citizen of the country having lot of good track record in social service and meaningful contribution to the society, can get a ticket for fighting elections?
The answer is NO…
True exception is where BJP is a party with a difference. The Lead India winner which no youth leaders of the above category can ever aspire for, has been recognized well by BJP and thats the transformational change we want in our democratic policy while issuing party tickets unlike congress’s POP MOM culture.
Boss Kulkarni,
Did you owe the defeat? Better leave the party we will take care of you. If commies like you infiltrate then BJP will go back to 1984 tally.
When are you taking sanyas. Your age has come .let others take charge. You join somnath and karat family.
Calm down guys, this is not the way we should make things go wrong for BJP. we need to make them work again for the common gole of country first. although some people are doing the wrong things by taking the name of Modi and Varun for the defeat, let us accept that we are defeted because the electorate of india wants that we fight first for there road, water and electricity, plus the growing insecurity that is all around us. we should also go alone now as this elections has made it clear that going alone in some of the major states is important we might not make things happen in the start but we can make things happen in future we have to condem people like raj thakre who are potaring that the hindu looking partys can go to such cheep levels just to gain few Places it is evident by this result that they will not get anything but can destroy you, People like ram sena, they are not part of hindu culture they should be bring to justic to show that BJP is not a Party of the stupids but a party with has an all inslusive approch.
i hope we all will start working again to make this party become the party where congress is standing today.
I see a lot of underqualified detectives making under qualified comments about somebody’s allegiance.
Loose comments like these is what BJP already suffers from. If this is how youth speaks in public, they still have time to take bigger responsibilities.
varun ghandi has won his own seat. but he helped the kaangress to win across the country by showing a bad side of the BJP. everyone think sthat the bjp is like varun ghandi.
i think varun ghandi has shown his loyalty to his blood by doing what he did. he should be thrown out of the party immediately.
i think advani shoul dbe asked to retire and his seat should be given to modiji who i sth eonly hero who can bring the bjp back to power.
@ Aniket..
how can you be sure that modi can bring bjp back.. even in his own state he could not do wonders.. from 23 seats in 1999, bjp came down to 14 seats in 2004, and just one seat increase in 2009. In fact even the vote percentage of bjp reduced marginally in 2009. It seems gujaratis vote modi only during assembly elections, but even they feel that he is not suited for national politics.
the article in Tehleka by Sudeendra is something that we need to think on and not discard without insightful thoughts. I still feel Advani should have been declared PM candidate 3yrs back. I have expressed this sometime back. With Vajpayees condition detiorating I am not sure why we waited so long for it. what has this to do with the win, during this period lot of rumours on Jinnah controversy or who is calling shots next or even some odd names of Rajnath or Jaswant as future PM candidates.
Anyway know since it is only retrospective affair, let us look forward.
1) Strenghthen our base in our city and village
2) Our ideaology to identify the educated and common man equally.
3) Experiment positively with the current ruled states and then promise at national level.
4) Superb debate quality at Parliament to attract the youth. Build another 10 Vajpayees in the Parliament. If required spend the money and take training for these people from professionals. Even US presidents go through professional courses.
5) Above all get a control on what people are saying within the party. Discuss extensively in party meetings, drop your egos, when you come out put the right thought in unison.
easier said than done, but when coperates can do this for a few Rs, cant we do for ruling this country
Most of the contributing columnists to this website are turning out to be Enemies of BJP with their lame, cowardly stupid and illogical articles.
its disgusting to see pseudo-seculars writing columns on this website. is this a friends of bjp or of congress forum?
To be very frank, I have never understood why so much noise was made on the statement about Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
Factually, it was a correct statement. Even if I was a staunch Hindu who could agree to the statements of Varun Gandhi, I don’t think anything would have stopped me from making a truthful statement.
Also, as a leader, can’t someone decide what he wants to say as part of diplomacy. Especially if it creates a goodwill and also the mass appeal.
A leader has to take permission from everyone? He needs to take the nod from RSS for all this?
I think its ridiculous. This one stupid reaction was a big blunder. It took away couple of years of hard work in one day. Vajpayeeji had done a lot to soften this because he realized that when you run the Govt. of India, you can’t look like a party that will form policies only for Hindus. You can’t alienate your own citizens.
I still agree with the primary agenda of Hindutva. But if it has been misunderstood for two decades, we need to explain it in simpler language. This one Jargon has created confusion everywhere. Even within the party. We need to start a new approach on this subject.
All analysts, contributors, writters miss one very important point for the defeat of BJP, the biased role of election commission and counterfeit EVMs. In many places, it is reported it was malfunctioning, in TN and AP, there were plenty of money, daru.
BJP will never win 2014 if the old method of paper ballots are reverted, as demandded by some parties, as Cong nominees will decorate EC
Dude, if there was something seriously objectionable, I am sure BJP or anyother party would have made noise. And definitely before the results were announced.
As for money and liquor, you forgot the egg biryani. That was hot favorite. But getting into discussions of money spent by political parties during elections is a useless discussion. Every single one of them does it. And we don’t have any proof to show. The rumors that we hear don’t help.
OK cool down guys, Kulkarni’s turncoating is rather surprising given the importance of his position in the BJP’s think tank, however with LK Advani having retired a coward, as I predicted here pre election, someone has to do the plainspeak and good that it has come from within the coterie. Three Cheers to Kulkarni…Hip Hip Hooray.
If you take a sane mind to Kulkarni,there are a few gems hiding in his analysis. Many of the guys here sitting here and saying Advaniji ki Jai Ho do not add anything to election strategy. And Hindutva cadres are not really known for using their brains over brawn. Many comments here prove that such a supposition could be true.
For them it is difficult to understand Kulkarni’s position or frustration given that he has to craft a winning strategy, that too with his hands tied behind his back.
What with 14% of the population off straightaway, 30 percent of Parliament constituencies not represented, Uncouth Bacchas talking off their hats and Stupid Old Bachelors playing gudiya with young women and their mothers too and coyly refering to earlier performances. Come on yaar, it is sure to turn any man’s hair gray.
Kulkarni was not put there to parrot Hindutva, he had the job of bringing in the votes, something that even Vajpayee failed at in 2004. It was not easy for him. Let us appreciate this first, he was either foolish enough or brave enough to think that he and his team could carry it all. And they would have, but for a dummy who posed as a leader. Guys you could have borrowed Jayalalitha who was whiling her time anyway.
Kulkarni’s essay also proves what we have been suspecting all along, that the top brass of the BJP, at least the saner ones, do not believe in Hindutva, more so because it doesnt aid them in any way in electoral politics or national politics. Hindutva, which is often called an ideology is just another way to whip up feelings in stupid guys who are willing to fall for it. So much is acknowledged.
And that it is increasingly an embarassment. Grow up guys, you cannot go to college wearing the same undies your mothers firsty put you in. Gather the courage to drop those small undies or your balls,New York’s favorite phrase will forever remain shrivelled.
To be in power you need to win and you cannot win by pure scare mongering, you need intelligent discussion and not only on the Internet.
Kulka must have spoken this in camera and not to Tehelka, it seems a major error in judgement and one that would have Congressmen in glee, provided they are intelligent enough to have read it.
Given that misjudgement, I am sure that even this is a good forum to tell it all, at least other than the muddle heads who sit in New York and Canada, the guys on the ground here can see and ponder over the new realities. And change course if necessary.
Get real guys, the Congress is in fashion. A long time back it was you, but times and people have changed. What have you done that excites the people? Think my dear ones, rather than filling up this forum with anguished crap. At this rate this forum will be busy post 2009 too open for fresh breast beating.
If not for anything, Kulkarni should be congratulated for his courage in talking straight, even if his views are not palatable to the majority.
@ Mockingbuddha…
U ROCK MAANN… U ABSULUTELY ROCK.. I SIMPLY LOVE READING YOUR POSTS.. “Stupid Old Bachelors playing gudiya with young women and their mothers too” that was gem of a comment… mmuaahahaha… keep them coming dude.. cheers
Kulkarnijis analysis is undeniably: a very poor standard not expected of a person of his position or it may be he is saying “let the blamegame begin”.
either way it points to one thing about bjps loss: it has wrong people in wrong places.
however i am happy that he is the person who has at least written something , or at least given a call right or wrong, it seems others will only react after bjp is reduced to 50 in next election.
friends/supporters/grass root workers has a right to know from the leadership “the road ahead”.
the fan,
In that case, why don’t Hinudvatavadis start their own forum where they can write poems in favor of varun Gandhi and declare how everyone has sold out to the Church.?
This forum is clearly meant for a different group of BJP sympathizers who are more interested in governance issues and ensuring how BJP can evolve into a genuine right-of-center party.
Clearly, you should have realized this by now that forum is not meant for rabid morons like you.
the count,
Yes, BJP could have swept UP by endorsing Varun’s comments. Just like it swept India in 1991 when the ram temple issue was its peak?
What kind of idiots will vote for a party where a two pence leader makes rabid comments and thinks that is upholding Hindu sentiments? And how many times? The fall in UP has not opened your eyes to the fact that emotive issues work only so many times?
But emasculated fools like the fan and Sukhvinder wish to project their hatred on other people.
I hope the moderators will take notice and ban such morons from this forum before it degenerates into another website for conspiracy theorists and mentally challenged.
@amit,
“This forum is clearly meant for a different group of BJP sympathizers who are more interested in governance issues and ensuring how BJP can evolve into a genuine right-of-center party.”
Both the 2004 & 09 elections BJP fought it like a right-of-center party concentrating the capmaign on development, focussing on working middleclass, focusing on Infrastructure & IT, even cheap rice/wheat for the poor etc., and we were humiliated!!
Historically its like if Indians aren’t swayed emotionally they vote for congress no matter how bad they governed the previous term. Or how do you explain a country with over 350million people still living below the poverty line vote for a party that in principle is responsible for their poverty.
Lets face it, Indian voter doesn’t make a informed choice like in the US or UK . Congress has been fooling them for decades with the clever use of media. Its a disgrace that even after 60 years of Independence political parties in India have to fight elections on kapda roti makaan plank!
There is nothing wrong in BJP’s ideology, they just have to start behaving like a “nation first” party. What’s wrong with the hindutva by the way? does it ask people to kill each other? it doesn’t.
Amit, your group is the reason that the BJP lost in urban areas. All your meetings were a complete waste, the results show it all.
Sure, and B K Sharma ”Mullah bhejo Pakistan” won by 1.75 lakh votes in Delhi…
Wait a minute.
Some of the points raised in the analysis were correct. But I don’t agree with others. There was a context behind Varun’s speech that was lost in the noise or the media’s game. Please go through this
http://www.dailypioneer.com/164149/Varun-was-harsh-but-so-is-truth.html
Sure, such things should not be said when they are not required..but it would be stupid to look at them through the same lense elsewhere..where they make sense. The BJP can be faulted for not speaking about this. Why is it so confused? Explain the reason and silence the opposition. Don’t find excuses like forged tapes…no one believes them. Be firm when you know you are not wrong. Not one spokesperson of BJP talked about the situation in Pilibhit. Why? You may have ignored it as irrelevant…but I see people believing what the media projects. It is a big problem. Acknowledge it and craft your responses accordingly. Did remaining silent about the cause of Varun’s speech help the BJP? The answer is a big NO. It was still labelled communal. So how does it matter? SPEAK OUT THE TRUTH without worrying about tags.
About the lamenting of loss of allies…it would be foolish to depend on allies. Today even the ’secular’ Congress does not have permanent allies. The allies only need excuses. Today it is Varun, Modi..tomorrow it can be Chauhan or Raman singh.
Hindutva is not bad..it is a beautiful concept. But the Sangh and the BJP are partly responsible for its negative image. They need to strike a balance and do away with hooliganism of the Muthalik type. This is something that the Sangh and the BJP will have to work at together..not in isolation….else the result will be a big zero.
Build up your organization..and stop fighting with each other. Elect your leaders.
Amit we have some respect left for you, so learn to chill. You are beginning to sound like a dictator now. You sure you have not been planted by the Congress camp.
count, amit is right on many counts, this is meant to be a friends of bjp forum and who else can tell you things on the face but friends. you should read kulkarni all over again. i guess he covered these issues in some detail there.
“Both the 2004 & 09 elections BJP …and we were humiliated”
WTF do you think would have happened had the BJP harped on Hindutva in 2004. Only more of the same…It would have been wiped out, reduced to the paltry 30 seats…And you wanna try it again?
Dont you guys realise that without Vajpayee as the facade BJP wouldnt have won half the seats you won earlier? And that it lost the next elections precisely because rabid Hindutvites outdid the good work by their monkeying with the media. Where are those AH’s now? Hibernating in the Himalayas?
They gave the only functional government in the country (save Rao’s) a bad name. And the BJP is still trying to live it all down. WTF happened to the loud mouths of Hindutva now?
“There is nothing wrong… does Hindutva ask people to kill each other? it doesn’t”
Let us cut the crap here. Let us see how Hindutva devolves in practice.
Most Hindutvite cadres would like nothing better than to open contraceptive provision stores for Muslim men and women. Some of them want to convert Christians and Muslims back to the crap their forefathers abandoned generations ago. And when all that is done they will begin to fight among themselves, as to which caste or creed is better.
Put simply, these are guys who cannot live without a specified enemy. Earlier they were casteites, today they are Hindutvities, if they had been in Islam they would have been jehadis, happy and comfortable with rape and pillage and eager to see the houris of heaven.
Hindutva, like other va’s is a personality problem and we do not want this problem to soak India in blood and destroy it. The ordinary cadres of Hindutva are as stupid and bloodthirsty as the cadres of any fascist party. No doubts about that.
Therefore the question as to whether Hindutva encourages killing is akin to calling Islam a religion of peace. I rest my case.
Bravo mockingbuddha… i salute you..
For those who equate the Hindutvawadis with Jihadis: please learn to look at all sides without prejudice. Sure, not all their actions can be justified. But take a look here too:
http://rss.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=105
These are the same Hindutvawadis you don’t want to know anything about.
Some of the points raised in the analysis were correct. But I don’t agree with others. There was a context behind Varun’s speech that was lost in the noise or the media’s game. Please go through this
http://www.dailypioneer.com/164149/Varun-was-harsh-but-so-is-truth.html
Sure, such things should not be said when they are not required..but it would be stupid to look at them through the same lense elsewhere..where they make sense. The BJP can be faulted for not speaking about this. Why is it so confused? Explain the reason and silence the opposition. Don’t find excuses like forged tapes…no one believes them. Be firm when you know you are not wrong. Not one spokesperson of BJP talked about the situation in Pilibhit. Why? You may have ignored it as irrelevant…but I see people believing what the media projects. It is a big problem. Acknowledge it and craft your responses accordingly. Did remaining silent about the cause of Varun’s speech help the BJP? The answer is a big NO. It was still labelled communal. So how does it matter? SPEAK OUT THE TRUTH without worrying about tags.
About the lamenting of loss of allies…it would be foolish to depend on allies. Today even the ’secular’ Congress does not have permanent allies. The allies only need excuses. Today it is Varun, Modi..tomorrow it can be Chauhan or Raman singh.
Hindutva is not bad..it is a beautiful concept. But the Sangh and the BJP are partly responsible for its negative image. They need to strike a balance and do away with hooliganism of the Muthalik type. This is something that the Sangh and the BJP will have to work at together..not in isolation….else the result will be a big zero.
Build up your organization..and stop fighting with each other. Elect your leaders.
I don’t know why this comment was not published earlier.
COMPROMISE WITH EACH OTHER, OR LOSE AGAIN….AND AGAIN!!!
While Jain’s article is a well-intentioned step even though it could have it’s apparent pitfalls, Chatterjee’s comments make sense too. These two guys give us a fair perspective of two seemingly opposite mindsets prevalent within the BJP, it’s circle of friends, philosophers, guides, fans and everyone else who claims to be for the progress & success of the party.
And guys, stop fighting if you are sincerely on the same side (the BJP’s). Each of us has to compromise to unite. While I agree that you cannot shove everything about Hinduism/Hindutva down everyone BJP supporter’s or sympathizer’s throats, but at the same time, BJP cannot be forced to dump the Hindu agenda completely. That would be political suicide. So chill everyone, take a chill pill. Get off your high horses and compromise.
GET IT GUYS…..COMPROMISE WITH EACH OTHER, OR LOSE AGAIN….AND AGAIN!!!
This goes for all the Kulkarnis, Jains, Malviyas, Varuns, Modis, Advanis, Jaitleys, Swarajs, Rajnaths, Dasguptas and their ‘Legionaries’.
amit i think you need to stop criticizing hindus, hinduism and hindutva again and again. you risk alienating a lot of people with this behavior, not to mention with your crude comments, personal attacks and cussing.
the same goes for mockingbuddha. can you please stop ridiculing hindus and hinduism out here. this is not helping unite people.
@ Jasmeet,
mockingbuddha is not ridiculing hindus or hinduism.. he is ridiculing the misuse of hinduism by political parties for electoral gains..
Mr. Mock,
Please enlighten us, the lesser mortals, on why people should vote for BJP minus hindutva. In my opinion BJP(in 2004) could have exploited the hindu chauvinist sentiment(post godhra) like Rajiv Gandhi successfully did (post sikh riots)in 1984!
In my opinion Mr. Mock you are over estimating the wisdom of the famed Indian voter.
i agree with the count. some misguided individuals are using this forum to abuse hindus and hinduism. how do we know they are not from the congress.
SJ, you and mockingbuddha are the same person. dont hide behind it
jasmeet,
i could not care less how many people are offended. I am not in business of fighting elections.
And voila! Hinduism=exploiting Hindus sentiments after Godhara as the count helpfully suggests or upholding varun gandhi?
wows! No, thank you. Thankfully, I know a different Hinduism.
@ amit,
u missed the point, I just tried to draw the parallels on how visionary Rajiv Gandhi sucessfully exploited the hindu chauvinist sentiment post sikh riots, and BJP how didn’t post godhra — got it?
My point is if BJP offers people wheat@ Rs 1 & congress offers the same @ Rs 2, in all probability people wud still vote for congress.BJP has lost the credibility, Ram Mandir & Ram sethu may not be the burning issues being faced by our country but never the less it does matter as a matter of pride & honour.
All Iam trying to say is if u want to win elections you have to “tell people the things they love to hear–then deliver atleast a part of it”. We all know congress is more communal and divisive than british & nazis combined but still they are the winners.
The final point is we don’t need BJP that is similar to congress, we need a party that doesn’t make us guilty for what we are.
It is unfair to compare Modi and Varun gandhi on same lines and it is doing by media.
Even i ask bjp friends not to mention modi along lines of varun.
Modi stood as excellent example for development based politics.He is mixture of ideology,thought,leadership,administration,honestywith action,enthusiasm,communication and statemanship.
Some of his strong arguments(budiya,gudiya) may give annoyance,but those are trivial compare to his inspirational speeches.
But Varun is lame duck who dont know what exactly Hindutva is ?.He needs to be shut down.
It is extremely paining to me when bjp friends tries to defend varun. What he said during election campaign is strongly condemnable.
His cousin , Rahul emerged big and widely appreciated even from BJP supporting journalists for his calm,solderity and balance in speech and action.
I totally agree with the following people’s well-thought and insightful comments on this forum:
Sundari
the count
Abi
AM
Nachiket
Jasmeet
Vikas
Promod
Sukhvinder
S Chatterjee
And many others
I disagree with the following completely for their typical pseudo-secular and anti-Hindu comments:
Kiran
Anshuman
Anoop
Amit
mockingbuddha
SJ (who is for all you know, the same person as mockingbuddha and even amit for that matter, notice the style)
Piyush
BJP needs to maintain the focus on it’s core audience, i.e. states or groups who have stood by it over testing times. Pleasing other groups is acceptable but not at the cost of it’s natural & time-tested base.
And please friends, dont fall for these pseudo-secular commentators who are here to destroy whatever support the BJP has today. They are here to spread hate and divide the Hindus as usual. Most Hindus have been divided & cowardly for too long, thanks to these Trojan Horse Jaichands among others.
All they keep harping is to bring down Modi. Notice who else does that - the Indian English media, the Congress and it’s allies.
Modi is brave and honest, unlike these self-centred cowards.
I would choose the straight-forward among Muslims and Christians any day over these pseudo-seculars among Hindus and the media.
Finally, a honest enemy is not as dangerous as a dishonest friend.
“Finally, a honest enemy is not as dangerous as a dishonest friend”. This is an excellent quote. Often a thief in the home is seldom caught. Pseudo-secular Hindu is worse than a straight-forward Muslim and christian.
The only danger I see Modi in projecting for the PM in the 2014 elections would be the Godhra scare. Let the SIT investigation and supreme court clear his name than BJP can think of projecting him as a PM candidate. Other wise,it will be giving full material to the apposition to attack BJP if he is not cleared by Supreme court.
Sundari, why are you prejudiced against Varun when he hasn’t said any thing directly on Muslims. Don’t you see some Muslim clerics and Mullahs preaching hatred against the Kaafirs and non-believers( Hindus) and preaching their followers to eliminate in the name of Allah. Varun Gandhi as a politician needs to be careful.
“A honest enemy is not as dangerous as a dishonest friend.”
The best quote I have come across to describe pseudo-secular Hindus and the Indian media. Some of the hardcore Hindu critics here too are part of that bandwagon. Seem to come across as implants, don’t they?
See the well-planned attempted character assasination of Modi and Varun again and again. What does it indicate folks? Let’s beware of these wolves in sheep’s clothing.
“A honest enemy is not as dangerous as a dishonest friend.”
funny comments.. sj is the same as mocking.. i wish i had the knowledge, vocabulary and satirical writing skills as mockingbuddha.. who uses these elements pretty effectively to drive home his point.. guys, instead of attacking individuals, why dont you thnk about arguing on ideas and thoughts..
test
http://www.dailypioneer.com/164149/Varun-was-harsh-but-so-is-truth.html
Why didn’t the BJP talk about this???
How did you find out that mockingbuddha and me are the same person.
I am reading all of your postings. One thing is sure everybody is showing their disappointment. Here is my two cents. BJP lost because of the failure in some main items.
1) it did not convey the common man of India how bad is the congress govt to India as the nation. Including security issues to the communal politics.
Everybody knows how Indian Hindus are so ignorant about any thing and any body can fool them as Congress is doing. BJP must have convinced the public how it is destroying the country and what is the cost of having this kind of party ruling the country.
2) Media media media…any one talks about Hindus is a communal and Muslims is a secular person. This is the kind of false propaganda is spread by the media all day and night. Thousands of years back one needed a sword to invade you and now what then need is just a media. We are living in the world of communication and most of the people believe what they see in their television set. In other words they are playing with peoples mind rather than the physical injury. So BJP should must have taken measures to correct this false propaganda.
There are many things i can go on and on but before i end this chat i would like to say - we are digging our own graveyard and no one seems to be bothered about it. Every body says MERA BHARAT MAHAN but identify how many of them mean it.
New Yorker
blaming the media is the easiest thing to do.. media just blows things out of proportion.. but that doesnt mean one should not introspect on ones shortfalls..
harihar is an idiot
thanks mona.. same to you..
.. who is this guy who wrote a comment under my name on June 12.. guys this is a serious forum for serious discussion (or so i hope).. there are millions of sites for this kind of cheap jokes.. go there.. again for the record, i am neither mocking buddha nor do i know him.. i just found his opinions and his way of writing very interesting..
who is this Sudheendra Kulkarni? has he ever stood for any election and won? what mass base does he have?
he is another jholawala intellectual whose type we see in the left parties. why is he allowed into bjp meetings? and what gives him the right to comment on our internal affairs?
the problem is that there is big infighting going on inside the bjp which is not very good. the only solution is to throw out all the non-performing peoples and bring in people like Modi.
Modi should be appointed as president of the bjp.The president of the party and the elader in parliament should be the same person to be proper working. So advaniji should also be asked to retire and Modi should be made the supreme leader of all hindus. Modiji will represent the hindu voice in parliament and the whole country and help to fight the pseudo-secular kangress. it is only modiji who can fulfil the dream of all hindu peoples to make a hindu rashtra.
without modiji the bjp is going to break into peices by 10 people speaking in 10 different things.
Sudheendra kukarni was one of the election managers.. just like arun jaitley.. thats why he is allowed in bjp meetings.. he is also a close aide of advani ji..
as far as modi ji, like i said earlier, he would have been the natural choice if he had been able to gather enough votes… but alas, thats not the case.. people just come to listen his speeches for the entertainment quotient.. going by the numbers, bjp lost seats under him.. from 23 in 1999 under keshubhai bjp came down to 14/15 under modi.. also the vote share has also reduced in gujarat.. his success has been limited to assembly elections.. thanks to a non existent congress leadership in the state..
@king: that is one of the problems: both of the BJP’s election campaign managers Kulkarni and Jaitley are not grassroots politicians but people who jump from one TV studio to another. How can they be expected to give results and win elections? lets not mistake television presence with political ability.
jaitley and others are forcibly keeping modiji inside gujarat so they can continue to rule in delhi. They are in many ways conspiring to defeat modiji. the blood of every hindu boils when we see inpotent tv actors like jaitley playing politics to destroy genuine hindu patriots like modi.
give modiji a chance at the delhi level and see the magic. within a year, modiji will make the bjp a true hindu party and take it back to hindutva which is what we need now. the kangress will not know where to look
@ aniket.. but sir, the reality is totally different.. please refer to my post about lok sabha seats in gujarat..it has been going down and down.. if he ws able to get votes, he should have been able to do it at least in his own state (forget about other states)..what has jaitley to do with voters in gujarat.. in fact jaitley has been a staunch supporter of modi ever since the latter became cm..
modi was the natural successor to advani.. but now it seems doubtful, not because someone is playing games, but the voters ditched him in his own state..
Dear friends,
I hereby share with you the contents of the Email I wrote to Mr Sudeendra Kulkarni. This was written prior to the party distancing itself from the article.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Sudheendra Kulkarniji,
I would like to introduce myself as a 40 year old person from Tamilnadu. I have contributed actively in the LK.Advani forum and I campaigned for the BJP in the south Chennai constituency. My campaign was restricted to my friends and relatives and emails in my mail list. I would like to share my views on your article in the Tehelka.
Before I comment on your article one thing which I think the BJP should address is its shoddy decision making process. Each and every decision taken gets changed after a few days which means the various pulls and pressures have sapped the vitality of the decision making process. How do we overcome this. This can be overcome by a person who becomes the leader of the party takes decisions quickly and stands by them. A changed decision does not go with the slogan of an iron man.
Regarding first things first I would like to make it clear that Chidambaram has not won the elections through fair means. After the 10 round of the recount a candidate by the name Sakthivel was informed by the election commission officials that he was on 6000 votes and odd but after the 13 Th round it became 4559 votes. Where did the 1500 and odd votes go . Let us stop this talk of celebrating democracy when it is being murdered in broad daylight in Tamilnadu. In fact we should fight those who got elected by adopting illegal electoral practices. The least that can be done is Lk Advani or some other senior leader should raise this issue in Parliament. This candidate Sakthivel has gone on record on ZEE T.V Tamil in an interview mentioning this irregularities. You could call for a copy of the interview from ZEE t.v go through the contents and then plan your action.
Regarding congratulating the Congress all that I have to say is that the UPA did nothing and won because of BJP’s flawed electoral strategy and the serious infighting in the BJP.. So let us congratulate all the BJP strategists including you for the Congress Victory. Let us also congratulate all the dissidents and leaders with huge egos in the BJP for the success of the congress. On this score the first person to be congratulated is Rajnath Singh who is determined in creating roadblocks for the party.
Regarding self analysis the BJP is yet to meet at the senior level and take stock of the situation. It is more busy spending its energies on who will sit next to LK Advani in the parliament. Do you know the kind of abuse that is being heaped on the BJP due to this petty infighting. People lose the right to talk about nationalistic politics after fighting like this.
People do want a change but the BJP in its current form does not represent the change the people want. India has changed rapidly and the BJP is a party wrapped in the times of the 80’s and 90’s.Enough of introspection and please modernise the party with relevant issues and themes.
Coming to the revival of the party A.P, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamilnadu. The BJP in its current avatar will not win a single seat in Tamilnadu. It needs to implement radical changes by giving priority to dalits , backward castes and women. It is perceived as a Brahmin’s party in Tamilnadu.It was wrong to have an alliance with the GNLF in west Bengal. Andhra can be revived if venkaiah naidu spend his entire time on AP rather than travelling the lengthhand breadth of the country. Kerala is always going to be difficult due to its distinct demographic pattern but we can still aim for 3 to 4 seats at best .
Hindutva is the soul of the BJP and we are clearly not interested in another version of the Congress. But Hindutva needs to find new issues and has to in sync with the latest times. But I would like to add that the BJP really did not do anything worthwhile for hindutva from 2004 to 2009 and you include the Ram Temple in the manifesto. Whom are you trying to fool. Each and every Hindu knows building the Ram Temple is a Big ask and you need to have two thirds majority in both houses of the parliament to do such things. A party aiming for 180 seats should not talk of constitutional amendment which are not going to have the required support among the MP’s. So the manifesto was a joke for the Hindutva Hardliner and the moderate Hindu who could see through the diabolical plan of the BJP. The BJP has deserted Hindutva in 1998 itself after it got power.
There is nothing wrong in raising issues which affect Christians and Muslims. But the issues have to be genuine and not issues of reservation to Christians or Muslims which will be considered as a betrayal by the BJP voters.Address genuine issues of minority and get their votes. But before that can you please enlighten me as to what the BJP did for Hindus from 2004 to 2009.
Let us face it the BJP is a party dominated by upper castes and it needs to reinvent itself by having a president from the Backward castes or the Dalits. It needs to give greater representation to the youth and the women. Youth in any form of thought or imagination does not include Rajnath Singh , Sushma swaraj or even Arun Jaitely.Kindly look out for the young leaders in their twenties,thirties and forties. It is very important that descendants from a political clan are not looked at as youth leaders. We need genuine youth leaders.
The Varun episode could have been handled differently. Varun should have accepted the speech made and explained the context in which it was made and should have apologised for the unintentional hurt caused to Muslims. He should have then been used as a Hindutva mascot. The other option would have been to drop him. What did we do ,we called it a doctored c.d and then supported him but not the speech and then expected Hindutva Votes. Varun does not have acceptability in the Sangh parivar and to overcome this he made the speech. He won the elections and became a darling of the sangh parivar. But this speech cost the votes nationally.
Advaniji after the Jinnah episode lacked the complete backing of the sangh parivar. The sangh parivar got its act together only after the advent of Mr Mohan Bhagwat ji. But today Advani looks like an expert physician who can treat others but not himself i.e he can make others win but not himself because others are not selfless like him.
As far the relationship between the RSS and the BJP are concerned there is a widespread belief that you are the principal architect in the show down between BJP and RSS. You have always held a view that the BJP can do better without the Rss. This is wrong and the relationship between the BJP and the RSS need to be strengthened and could be more cordial. But the Rss should not do the job of the BJP and should keep away from politics and address its issues of declining membership. The Rss needs to reinvent itself and requires leaders from dalits and backward castes. It has to come out of the vice like grip held by the Brahmin’s failing which it will become a fringe entity.
I do not want to waste my energies writing about the VHP or the Bajrang Dal who are doing more harm to the Hindu cause. The RSS needs to discipline these organisations or disassociate itself from the same.
I wish the BJP good luck in its endeavors to change itself and win public support. I would also like to apologize if I have written something which has offended you. I believe in speaking my mind and I am very angry at the BJP’s defeat which makes me write like this.
I would very much appreciate a reply when you find time.
Regards,
A strong BJP supporter unafraid to have a freewheeling discussion with anyone with an objective of helping the revival of the BJP
Swami ji.. did you get any response??
if you research his background, you realize that this kulkarni character seems to have been planted by Enemies of BJP.
No Kingji, I didn’t get any response.
Regards,