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BJP plans to play Ayodhya, Atal cards

The two-day state executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party that began at Saharanpur on Friday, appears to be drifting towards renewal of the Ayodhya and Atal cards at the next assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

While the basic question of the schedule of elections is still being debated in political circles as well as before the judiciary, the ruling party was in an obvious mood to take the poll as far away as possible.

A writ petition filed before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court, seeks to draw the court's attention to the proposed extension of the Vidhan Sabha's term by six months. The Raj Nath Singh government was relying on the argument that since the constitution of the assembly was formally done only as late as in March 1997, after it remained in suspended animation for six months, the schedule for the poll would fall not before March 2002.

The public interest litigation advocates holding elections in October 2001, when the five-year term of the Vidhan Sabha actually expires.

However, it is not the schedule that seems to be of any serious concern for the party bigwigs at the Saharanpur meet - perhaps because the opposition too seems to be equally keen on deferment of poll dates. What was understood to be the prime question before party leaders holding the meeting under the guardianship of BJP national chief Jena Krishnamurthy as well as another prominent old guard, Kushabhau Thakre, was the issue to woo the electorate.

The common view held by most participants was to revert to the Ayodhya issue. Significantly, many leaders did not hesitate to criticise the unbridled corrupt practices of the party's ministers, whom they blamed for the party's tottering image in the country's most populous and politically crucial state.

Both Thakre, who belongs to the hardcore Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh school as well Krishnamurthy, appeared to be focussed on bringing the Ayodhya issue back to centrestage.

And that is what perhaps speaks of the build-up in the name of Ayodhya by various RSS off-shoots over the past few months.

The judicial reprieve given to Union Home Minister L K Advani and 20 other top BJP-RSS-Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders, on account of a technical flaw in the tight-rope walk procedures, in the eight-year-old Babri Masjid demolition case, seemed to have boosted their morale.

"The court verdict has made it loud and clear that our leaders did no wrong; so it would be in the fitness of things to bring Ayodhya back to the spotlight," said a senior RSS functionary in Lucknow.

Beside Ayodhya, if partymen favoured highlighting anything, it was the name of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "We must tell the masses how Atalji had been singularly responsible for raising India's prestige in the international community; and if they wanted him to continue they must vote for his party," state BJP chief Kalraj Misra told mediapersons.

He further pointed out, "We must also emphasise that Atalji belonged to Uttar Pradesh, since Lucknow has been electing him over the past three general elections."

Sure enough, there was not much for the party leadership to boast about in the state, where five chief ministers were changed over five years.

Besides, infighting between rival aspirants for the chief minister's chair had sullied the party's image just as much as corruption at all levels in the government.

Thus, the key political resolution was devoted solely to Vajpayee and his achievements as prime minister. The rest of the praise was shared only by Vajpayee's favourites - state BJP chief Kalraj Misra, Raj Nath Singh and state Urban Development and Housing Minister Lalji Tandon, who was better known as Vajpayee's Man Friday in Lucknow.

The meeting did not make even a passing reference to three prominent ministries held by Om Prakash Singh, UP BJP's only prominent OBC face after Kalyan Singh's exit. Singh was not among Vajpayee's blue-eyed boys, but was being tolerated simply because of his OBC background. He had turned so sore with Raj Nath Singh and Kalarj Misra that he remained conspicuous by his absence at several important meetings recently.

Kalraj Misra who, more often than not, preferred to remain in a make believe world, went to the extent of telling the audience, "People did have certain misgivings about us, but by going down to the masses and establishing direct dialogue with the people, we have been able to salvage the loss."

Even major issues like the pact with Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal or speculation over a post-poll alliance with Maywati's Bahujan Samaj Party, were systematically relegated to the lowest priority at the Saharanpur meet.

Leaders do not deny that a pact with Ajit Singh was of utmost importance to boost the BJP's prospects in western UP, but they remain sharply divided over the question of any deal with Mayawati. In any case, since any arrangement with the BSP is possible only in the post-poll scenario, BJP leaders seemed to be concentrating more on emotive issues - Ayodhya and Atal - which, they believe will be able to bear rich political dividends.

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