An All-Around Display Of Incompetency

(Apologies for typos, it's three o' clock for God's sake !)

Manmohan confirms that he's the weakest PM: Advani

I concur with this, however incompetency and impotency of Manmohan is hardly a new story. Unfortunately this narrative is incomplete. If Mr Advani stepped back and looked on conduct of his own party post 2004, he can not help but cringe in embarrassment. BJP in opposition has been perhaps the most impotent opposition ever. And BJP has no one except itself to blame for its sorry state.

In democracy the majority forms the government. However it takes two to govern. The opposition helps in governing the country by providing informed critique to government's position. Hence opposition's responsibility is to engage in a meaningful debate both within and outside the parliament. However BJP has failed miserably to carry out its mandate as opposition, behaving more or less like a head less chicken. In hindsight it is not difficult to see, the causes for the disappointment that BJP has turned out into.

As BJP became a mainstream force during 90's, a process culminating with electoral victory in 1998, its political outlook formed as result of decades of existence in supporting role increasingly became incompatible with its new position. The situation demanded reworking of that outlook.
This was apparent to top leadership, including Mr Advani. However, the leadership, too preoccupied enjoying fruits of power ignored the situation, and neglected something which demanded urgent action.

Absence guiding force, the rot started setting as soon as BJP gained power, however the glitter of power covered the creeping decrepitude. The results are not surprising.

Stunned by the "unexpected" loss, the leadership reverted to the position they were familiar with, that of high decibel and confrontational politics, opposition for sake of opposition and not for sake of principles.

However what is sauce for fringe is certainly not sauce for a main player.

In the three years since it lost power, far from making an attempt to stake out a position more consummate with changed political landscape, it has not even acknowledged any need for such a task, even to itself. The ironical part is its content free maneuvers and shrill rhetoric are not going to endear it to voters. Its desperation to gain power by any means possible is transparent to common public. However the present clique consisting of politicians without any mass base, and RSS pracharaks is oblivious to the disgust Indians feel for the outrageously cynical manner in which BJP has been behaving since last three years. It is a Darbar which is blowing its own trumpet. How long before this self delusional Raag Darbari turns into the last sigh for BJP is not realized by these worthies.

This applies to BJP opposition to Nuclear treaty as well as to fiasco over Ram Sethu. In both the cases BJP has reacted out of instinctive opposition, than out of any consistent conviction.

Which is the reason that even with a government unsurpassed in the level of lack of achievement, BJP still flounders. There is only one way out of this endless soap opera pf intra-family feuds. It is to take back control of the political narrative. To again dictate the direction of Indian politics. To act as the center of political discourse, which it is, and not like a two-bit player.

BJP is in troubled water and it has to swim or sink of its own.

Related Swapan Dasgupta

Also Rohit