Just twenty four hours after Dear Leader was anointed BJP's campaign committee chairman, the original hindu heartthrob L.K. Advani threw a massive tantrum by resigning from three party committees of which he was a member. That Advani was sulking was evident when he skipped the party's Goa meeting due to 'ill health' but found the energy to post some abstract stuff in his blog. However today's action has reportedly taken BJP by surprise, so much so, that the Parliamentary Board has rejected Advani's resignation.
Now I hold no brief for Dear Leader. Or in Yashwant Sinha's memorable phrase, I do no suffer form NaMonia. But what Advani is upto is unseemly, ill-timed and smacks of selfishness. Evidently the irony is lost on the man who decried that many leaders were more concerned with personal agendas! While Advani was not alone in having misgivings about handing over the party to Dear Leader, the BJP had no choice in the face of popular acclaim from rank and file and pressure from the khaki knickerwallahs.
It is a tragedy that in India we do not have the Primary system like in US to choose party candidates. Of course the US electoral system is very much personality driven whereas a Parliamentary democracy like ours is supposed to be ideology- and issue-driven. However, such an idea was only a mere twinkle in the eyes of the founding fathers. Indian politics has been very much personality driven ever since the time of Nehru; while in the past the personalities were inspirational and upright, these days only the corrupt, crooked or the manipulative fight for the spoils of victory. Absent a Primary fight the least the BJP could have done is to have an internal voting at the party's national executive. That would have demonstrated whether Dear Leader had as much support within the party as his beloved social media fans love to claim.
Be that as it may, it will be in BJP's best interests to accept Advani's resignation and send him to a honourable retirement. For that is the other thing I admire about politics in US or UK. Once a candidate has lost election(s), it usually spells the end of his/her political career. The party gravitates around the winner. Advani has lost two elections and it is high time BJP moved ahead. Dear Leader deserves a shot at leading BJP in next year's general election after his hat trick in Gujarat. I have serious misgivings about his perceived qualities, leadership style and philistine attitudes. However, he is the best bet for the BJP and he deserves to be heard in the public square.
Now I hold no brief for Dear Leader. Or in Yashwant Sinha's memorable phrase, I do no suffer form NaMonia. But what Advani is upto is unseemly, ill-timed and smacks of selfishness. Evidently the irony is lost on the man who decried that many leaders were more concerned with personal agendas! While Advani was not alone in having misgivings about handing over the party to Dear Leader, the BJP had no choice in the face of popular acclaim from rank and file and pressure from the khaki knickerwallahs.
It is a tragedy that in India we do not have the Primary system like in US to choose party candidates. Of course the US electoral system is very much personality driven whereas a Parliamentary democracy like ours is supposed to be ideology- and issue-driven. However, such an idea was only a mere twinkle in the eyes of the founding fathers. Indian politics has been very much personality driven ever since the time of Nehru; while in the past the personalities were inspirational and upright, these days only the corrupt, crooked or the manipulative fight for the spoils of victory. Absent a Primary fight the least the BJP could have done is to have an internal voting at the party's national executive. That would have demonstrated whether Dear Leader had as much support within the party as his beloved social media fans love to claim.
Be that as it may, it will be in BJP's best interests to accept Advani's resignation and send him to a honourable retirement. For that is the other thing I admire about politics in US or UK. Once a candidate has lost election(s), it usually spells the end of his/her political career. The party gravitates around the winner. Advani has lost two elections and it is high time BJP moved ahead. Dear Leader deserves a shot at leading BJP in next year's general election after his hat trick in Gujarat. I have serious misgivings about his perceived qualities, leadership style and philistine attitudes. However, he is the best bet for the BJP and he deserves to be heard in the public square.
