The Nation; BJP :Luddites on the Prowl


	July 10, 2000

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BJP
Luddites on the Prowl

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch's assault on the Centre's economic policies and the defeat in the Uttar Pradesh panchayat polls are a twin reminder of the BJP's Parivar troubles

By Farzand Ahmed

India Today issue dated July 10, 2000 "Come one and all. Join the second freedom struggle and become a freedom-fighter. It is our national duty to fight at all levels the growing foreign influence on the Indian economy and those encouraging it."

On the day that the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) issued this call and passed a resolution attacking the NDA Government for "mortgaging the country's economic security", Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vaj- payee was setting out on a five-day two-nation tour. In Rome and in Lisbon, Vajpayee, who was accompanied by Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, promised his hosts acceleration of the second phase of reforms. Characteristically, the prime minister seemed in no mood to listen to the noises being made at the SJM conclave in Agra.

The call for the "second freedom struggle" against the Centre's economic policies, coming as it did from an affiliate of the RSS, is at a time when the BJP is hurtling from one disaster to another in some states, particularly Uttar Pradesh, once the party's strongest base. As if poor results in the last Lok Sabha polls and miserable performance in the assembly by-elections were not enough, the BJP suffered serious setbacks in the panchayat elections under the lacklustre leadership of Chief

Minister Ram Prakash Gupta and state party unit chief Om Prakash Singh. By asking the people to revolt against the BJP's economic policies, the SJM, which speaks the language of the RSS and draws its strength from the Sangh Parivar, has opened a needless fight on another flank for the ruling party.

What is causing nightmares in the BJP circles is the extensive nationwide programme chalked out by the SJM for the next few months. It includes a janjagran abhiyan (mass awareness campaign) from July 15 to August 15, swadesh saptah (swadesh week) from September 25 (the birth anniversary of Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya) to October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti) and namak andolan (salt movement) from October 2, which includes a march from Dandi to Sabarmati and from Sabarmati to Parliament House.

On his overseas tour Vajpayee may have said what his European hosts wanted to hear, but back home there was consternation in the BJP about the possible adverse impact of the SJM's move. Realising that opinion on reforms could turn negative and considering the demoralisation in sections of the party and the Sangh, the BJP leadership last week decided to bring out a "status paper" to inform and educate party workers about the need for hard economic decisions. BJP Economic Cell Convenor Jagdish Shettigar says there could be some criticism on the Government's economic reforms but that such criticism should be backed by rational reasons. "We are going ahead with the reforms. If the SJM or any other outfit feels that something is wrong, they are welcome to bring it to our notice and alert the Government, but it must be backed by some rationale," he says. He was, however, quite emphatic that a government could not be expected to "consult everybody on all issues". Party Vice-President K. Jana Krishnamurthi also echoed similar sentiments. "The SJM can hold its views, but if attempts are made to shake people's faith in the Government's reforms plan, the BJP will place all the facts and its viewpoint before the people," he said.

Equally worrying for the BJP was the RSS' four-day executive committee meeting from June 29 in Ahmedabad. Its agenda included a thorough review of the Vajpayee Government's economic policies and support to the SJM's "freedom struggle". Though the deve-lopments in Kashmir have cast a shadow over the meeting, it is likely to take note of Sinha's "arrogant and bureaucratic" behaviour. "Not only does he speak the language of the IMF and the World Bank, but his contempt for those talking about swadeshi is worse," an RSS leader said. Sources within the Sangh disclosed that RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan recently held a meeting with Sinha to inform him about the Sangh Parivar's apprehensions on unchecked reforms. Sinha seemingly brushed aside the warnings. Subsequently, the SJM passed a resolution holding Sinha responsible (without actually naming him) for the "collapse of the rural economy, rise in unemployment and prices of essential commodities and the threat to the country's economic sovereignty".

Vajpayee has now scheduled meetings with his top aides to take stock of the threat from within. According to a prime ministerial aide, though the Sangh and its affiliates are ready to run down the reforms programme, they do not have an alternative. Tarun Vijay, editor of Panchjanya, the RSS mouthpiece, said this was the result of contradiction between the Sangh's swadeshi concept and Manmohanomics, which the Government was pursuing, and that the swadeshi stand should not be considered anti-government. "We are just telling the Government our point of view. To avoid further confusion there is need for a dialogue between the Government and the various organisations," says Vijay. The point is: who will make the first move?

UTTAR PRADESH PANCHAYAT POLLS
Damning Verdicts

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee represents the Lucknow parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha. But neither he nor the BJP are likely to have any say in developmental works in the Uttar Pradesh capital if voters in the impending municipal elections follow the pattern set by the electorate in last month's panchayat polls where the BJP was comprehensively routed.

For the BJP, the results of elections for the gram pradhans, block deve-lopment committee members and zilla panchayat members have been embarrassing. True, the candidates for 7,35,585 posts in 71 districts where polls were held were not directly fielded by the party nor did they fight under the party banner. But the political affiliations of the candidates were well known as the ministers, MLAs and MLCs of various parties campaigned on party lines.

What is worrying the ruling BJP in the state is that following the devolution of power, rural bodies would be responsible for development works related to education, health, agriculture and irrigation. And if, as expected, most of the zilla panchayats go to the Samajwadi Party and the BSP, the ruling party would find it extremely difficult to please the electorate before the assembly elections. "Gone are the days when the ruling party could shower largesse in areas where it had a support base," remarked a senior BJP minister, adding that the execution of power was now in the hands of zilla panchayats. Most of them are in the opposition camps. It was precisely for this reason that the BJP Government in the state was keen to hold elections in October, but when the Supreme Court stepped in it was compelled to conduct the polls in June.

The panchayat election results have alarmed the BJP as it has lost in "impregnable citadels" like Lucknow, Kanpur city, Varanasi, Allahabad and in other eastern and western regions of the state. In a few months it will have to face municipal elections and then the assembly elections in little over a year. Its leaders dismiss the debacle, citing "local issues", but already cries for the removal of the chief minister are getting shriller.

Senior party leaders blame the "faceless Ram Prakash Gupta" for being a liability that the party could do without. To be fair to Gupta, when he came in nobody had any expectations from him. As such, his removal may not provoke heartburn in the faction-ridden state unit but his exit by itself may not be enough to cure the party of its ills.

-Subhash Mishra

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