BJP - down but not out

The driver becomes the driven. After steering the nation with aplomb during its India Shining phase, the Bharatiya Janata Party of today is steadily losing steam. Hit by a series of flop decisions and plagued with over ambitious leaders, the BJP is battling to remain in the centre of the Opposition.

The fall and fall of the party with a difference does not seem to stop. As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh installed Maharashtra unit chief Nitin Gadkari at the Ashok Road Headquarters, it was hoping that things would improve. Even after six months in the chair, Gadkari finds his job an uphill task of keeping the party going. Sources say the biggest challenge Gadkari faces is to keep its partners in good humour besides taming the five-star leaders.

The partners have all left or are on the verge of making silent exit from the National Democratic Alliance. The ones who are still swear by the dispensation, partners have either been marginalized in their respective regions or a struggling for survival. Exceptions apart. The NDA’s 13 constituents are no match for the formidable UPA combo of the Congress party.

As soon as the NDA was formed, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). But it was the India Shining phase and regional parties were eager to join and stick together. But after the unceremonious ouster in 2004, many constituents ran away in one go. Those who stayed have either been marginalised or on the decline.

Today, major partner of the BJP, the Shiv Sena stands weakened by the Thackeray family. Raj wanted to lead the organization but uncle Bal Sahib had plans for his son, Uddhav. The inevitable happened with Raj forming his own outfit, MNS. Even the party’s Hindutava poster boy, Jai Bhagwan Goyal, split and formed his own political party.

“The Thackerays have only a single agenda. To keep its Maharashtra vote bank entact. It was losing its all-India appeal of the guardians of Hindu religion. There was no point in staying with the Shiv Sena. So I formed a political party comprising workers from North India. Today, the Shiv Sena is totally weak. It has nothing to do with the BJP,” says Jai Bhagwan Goyal. The result was a very weak Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

Shiv Sena is not a lone story. Other smaller parties, Asom Gana Parishad – Assam (1 MP), Nagaland People's Front-Nagaland(1 MP), Uttarakhand Kranti Dal-Uttarakhand, actually never really mattered at the National level for the BJP and were just used to add to the total tally of constituents.

Gone with the wind

However, for the other strong outfits, the party was over, a long time ago. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (including PMK and MDMK), Lok Jan Shakti, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the National Conference branched away. And so did single-member parties like Indian Federal Democratic Party, leave early.

The late movers were Biju Janata Dal and Indian National Lok Dal. BJD left the alliance just over a month before the 2009 elections and INLD left due to seat sharing disagreements during Haryana assembly elections 2009.

The others are all leaving too. The reasons may differ but the common point is departure from the great idea of alternative governance. The Rashtriya Lok Dal – once fiercely opposed to the Congress party - is cozying to the Congress’ led UPA and likely to join the coalition before Uttar Pradesh goes to polls in 2012.

While RLD the choice is for political survival, for Jharkand Mukti Morcha it opportunity – to make money, to explore options and keep the Congress law makers in high spirits. The BJP didn’t see it coming and landed in a spot after pulling the rug from its own feet in Jharkhand. JMM’s Shibu Soren led government was shown the door after BJP withdrew support. Ironically, Gadkari was eating dinner with Soren when his son was voting against the party-led anti UPA motion in the Parliament. Technically, the Telugu Desam Party was never a part of the NDA. It gave ‘outside support’. It is still outside the realm of the power circle.

The exception is Shiromani Akali Dal. It is sticking together Led by Parkash Singh Badal. It is the only NDA partner which is in power. Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal, daughter in-law of Prakash Singh Badal was all support for BJP. She gave a forceful speech at Chandni Chowk against the UPA, signaling her party’s stand. SAD is happy with the BJP.

Tough task

Gadkari’s task as party president was to stop its outflow and contain the internal wrangling. The start was good and he even managed to rope in renegade leader Jaswant Singh, who was thrown out of the party after raising a revolt against party PM-in-waiting L K Advani. Homecoming of Uma Bharati is very much on the cards but Kalyan Singh and even Govidacharya are a distant thought.

“Don’t ask me the fine things. I will let you know when things materialise ,” he told this correspondent when asked if Uma Bharati would return to the BJP. Gadkari however, preferred to remain tigh-lipped on other controversial issues. But it looks positive and remains positive, at least on the surface of it.

Unable to lead in difficult times, the BJP picked up the agenda set by Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav. It went into the Bharat-bandh idea floated by Yadav while on the other hand its tie-up with JD (U) in Bihar is still going through a breakup phase. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar does not like the faces of Gujarat Chief minister Narender Modi and BJP youth MP Varun Gandhi. The party insists otherwise. Both the parties are looking for independent political space but may remain together for want of other buddies. “We have fought five elections together with the BJP. We will do so now,” Sharad Yadav told this correspondent.

“Tum to age age chal rahe ho,” says Sharad Yadav on the Left and the Right Centre attraction. A new combination can take place, he added.

After taking over the party reigns, Gadkari is still finding his north. “In the last six months, I have toured 24 states and held around a dozen and half press conferences. I am meeting everyone. We will fight inside and outside Parliament.” The BJP may be out nevertheless it is not out, not now.