BJP on its way to burying its future

Its just about a month and a week since this blog post by Swapan Dasgupta where for the first time something interesting was shared.

So, who is likely to be the next president of the BJP?

As of now, NITIN GADHKARI is the clear favourite.

With his amiable disposition, he has the advantage of being liked by everyone, including the LKA camp. If the BJP-SS does well in Maharashtra, his prospects will improve.

But then a week later Kanchan Gupta in his blog wrote this (before Maharashtra counted the ballots)

Irrespective of Maharashtra Assembly election results (the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance could suffer heavy reverses and losses and be left in the cold yet again)it is likely Nitin Gadkari will be brought in as president.

That the BJP lost badly in Maharashtra is now history. But the fact that the backseat drivers of the political Hindutva movement had pre-determined the outcome of events to play out in Delhi tells us a lot on the premium they put on performance and the faith they repose in the democratic process.

For the last few days  Putting the BJP on notice, Offstumped had called for a phone-in and SMS campaign into the BJP’s National Headquarters in Delhi asking why the BJP was shying away from holding a real election to decide its next President.

Many of you responded to this call for action.

Akshar100 wrote – Sent several SMS no replies. Planing to send handwritten letter. I think we are “begani shadi mein abdulla diwana” types.

Swabhimaan wrote – sent SMS to the three mobile nos. Dilli Chalo karein? contact arun shourie and get him on our side for this campaign. i don’t think he will refuse

Vivakermani wrote – Spoke to someone who said it will be held in Dec but call after 12 noon for more details

CenterOfRight wrote – was able to speak to one number dang please call up

AaIndian wrote – Got an answer on 1 phone, hello and bang!

CBCNN wrote – Why not send bouquets to the BJP high command asking them to do the right thing? Gandhi-giri perhaps, reverse psychology.

Acorn wrote – You are onto something with call the BJP HQ idea. Add postcards for more effect. Rock the backroom! Postcards might work better because they are physical. Or maybe you should send them smelly socks by post.

NareshBahrain wrote -  if bjp even thinks 1% of wht u think, they wld have done somethign correct. they R just closing their eyes & making it dark. 

A big thanks to all of you.

It is clear from these media reports in the Times of India and the Hindu that a repeat of the backroom manouvering of 2005 is all but set.

With the imminent choice of Nitin Gadkari for BJP President we must take it that the BJP has Institutionalized its practice of embellishing electoral failures as Resume enhancers to coronate an Outsider least likely to threaten status quo.

If the rationale of “collective leadership” offered for this choice was dubious, what is dishonest is the rationale of “too hot to handle” for not making the one choice by backroom consensus that could have been palatable.

At the risk of sounding repetitive and redundant here is what it all comes down to

• the BJP in its current avatar has lost all moral purpose
• the BJP leadership in its current avatar is plagued by the 3Is of – Incoherence, Incompetence and Insecurity
• any rejuvenation will have to be on a Center Right Agenda with a decisive and purposeful leadership that suffers no fools
• there was only one process by which such rejuvenation with a forward looking aspirational agenda could have happened – through the ballot
• there was only one leader perhaps who embodied both the forward looking Center Right Agenda and decisive leadership – it was Narendra Modi

By neither opting for a ballot and nor opting for Narendra Modi the BJP has practically buried its future.

Once again at the risk of sounding repetitive and redundant

•  all talk of a Narendra Modi lead campaign post 2012 is pointless.
• It reeks of a semi-finals mindset where the present doesnt matter and where all tough decisions are postponed to the future lest they disadvantage those who are invested in status quo.
• If the BJP has to be viable in 2014 and a serious challenger in 2019 it has to break new ground and that can only happen with purposeful and decisive leadership with a coherent philosophy
• Narendra Modi’s Minmum Government Maximum Governance offers the best hope for the BJP to chart that Center Right path to rejuvenation
• While a Modi choice would have been polarizing from a perception standpoint Mr. Modi could have pre-empted it with a detached moral stance on not holding Public Office to take the moral high ground

It is all but final that none of these are likely to happen as the BJP prepares to coronate Mr. Nitin Gadkari.

While Mr. Gadkari may have the right resume from an Administrative experience standpoint the fact that he has never contested a real election and has been unsuccessful in propeling the BJP back to power in Maharashtra in spite of disastrous Congress Governments speaks volumes about his political acumen or rather lack of acumen.

Barring any unlikely last minute surprises if the BJP were to go through with this choice

Offstumped will formally change its stance from being sympathetic to the BJP at the national level to being neutral and even opposed to it based on what stance the BJP takes under a Nitin Gadkari Presidency in the days to come.

Offstumped will continue to support the planks of Minimum Government Maximum Governance of the BJP in Gujarat and the ABIDE initiative of the BJP in Bangalore hoping they continue to retain their Center Right focus.

Offstumped will persist with its quest for a new Center Right avatar – a new Liberal National Big Tent that embodies the essence of Dharma drawing inspiration from the Shveta Chhatra.

Filed under: DesiPundit, Shveta Chhatra, betrayal of aam admi