Discontent still brewing in BJP

New Delhi: LK Advani cannot help expressing grief and grudge. The veteran has released his note as the party prepares to glam up the election fete in connection with the foundation day of the party. The anguish expressed by the ‘margadarshak mandal members’ give a clear picture on the depth of internal rift in the party.

At the age of 91, Advani may be facing physical challenges to be a candidate. However, while reserving Gandhinagar seat for Amit Shah, a Rajya Sabha member, Modi-Shah team should have shown a minimum courtesy. Though the party boasts of a tradition which values and respects gurus, it did not occur to them to seek blessings of the veterans after apprising them of the situation.  Not even a word of solace, Advani was ignored totally.

The same feeling is shared by Murli Manohar Joshi who is also sidelined as margadarshak mandal member.  The Kanpur seat was denied to him. Other than passing a paper mentioning he need not contest, the Modi-Shah duo did not make any effort to counsel, console or retain the respected leader.  It was in this scenario that a letter expressing the grief of Joshi was revealed.   Perhaps Joshi also, following Advani, may script a note on the foundation day of party.

Election is a festival of democracy.  Advani has not only raised the doubt on the extent of democracy inside the party.  Advani implies that Modi-Shah duo has contributed the style of branding rivals as enemies and anti-nationals. Here there is a sub-plot where Advani or Joshi cannot claim such purity.

Advani can claim to be the pioneer in making the dirty politics of sowing seeds of hatred, capitalising on communal polarisation and reaping the benefits of communalism a success in democratic India.  Advani himself protected his disciple during thethe Gujarath riots. When that disciple stabs from behind, time pays back, period.

The Modi-Shah campaign has crushed not only Advani and Joshi, but many who opposed the elevation of Modi as the prime ministerial candidate in 2014 are also sidelined. There are many others who could notstand that domination. Uma Bharti, Sushma Swaraj, Sumitra Mahajan and others have stepped back from contesting election  sensing the situation. Shantakumar, Kalraj Mishra and BC Khanduri were also denied tickets.  The list of figures who left the party and became turncoats starts like this: Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, Shatrughan Sinha, Kirti Azad..