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Manifesto shows BJP is 'shaky'

The Bharatiya Janata Party's manifesto betrays its nervousness, say the Left parties, highlighting the saffron brigade's dichotomy: whether to strengthen its base by playing up the Hindutva agenda or woo the minorities by going 'secular'.

The reiteration of the Hindutva agenda was not a surprise, though a section of the media had speculated that the BJP would go soft on the saffron policies to project a centrist image. This was strengthened by party president Lal Kishinchand Advani's statement that the BJP is going to replace the Congress as the main centrist party.

Even the Bhubaneswar national executive meeting in mid-December had sent similar signals, with a view to winning the election on the stability plank.

The feeling that the BJP is on shaky ground is evident from the fact that its leaders have confessed that Ayodhya is the only issue which can galvanise its cadres. " Congress morale gets a boost because of Sonia. For us it is Ayodhya. The manifesto, in a way, is a reassurance that we have not diluted our agenda."

By highlighting the Hindutva agenda, the party will consolidate its traditional base, said a BJP leader. "People like Abrar Ahmed, who joined us recently, can spread word on the positive aspects of the uniform civil code as far as Muslim women are concerned. But we will certainly not abandon our ideology," said a national executive member.

"We are not surprised,'' says Communist Party of India-Marxist ideologue Sitaram Yechuri. ''It is back to square one. This sledge hammer agenda is tactically timed -- it was released just a day before the filing of nominations ended in all but one state. So that the allies are taken by surprise and wouldn't be able to back out of the coalition."

"Other than the Shiv Sena, nobody is willing to have a Ram temple. So the BJP will have to make compromises to form a coalition government with its allies," Samata Party general secretary Jaya Jaitley told Rediff On The NeT.

Calling it the RSS manifesto, Communist Party of India national secretary D Raja said, "Even the proposed constitutional reforms are a camouflaged attempt to opt for the Presidential system. This shows the BJP is not confident of coming to power in a pluralist democracy... By banning cow slaughter, how can they decide the dietary habits of a nation?"

But the party's volte face -- from the secular agenda to Hindutva -- seems to be triggered by the electoral resurgence of Congress spirits with Sonia Gandhi's entry.

In such a context, it was expected that the BJP would bank on its traditional base of hardcore Hindu voters. It is even alleged that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh was rewarding all the accused in the Babri mosque demolition by withdrawing the cases against them.

However, the media coverage of the manifesto seems to have taken the BJP by surprise. A senior leader told Rediff On the NeT that the party expected the media to highlight the BJP's intention of India going nuclear. "We thought the press would focus on the nuclear option instead of Ayodhya," he said.

EARLIER REPORTS:
Muslims 'soften' stand as saffron gets secular hue
Talks must settle Babri row: Vajpayee

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