[While he [i.e. Advani] couched his words in ambiguity, Advani did set the cat among the pigeons. His decision to sound an alarm about the current state of the nation and its leadership speaks of the rapidly changing power equations within the Modi dispensation. Last year, Modi was unassailable. So Advani kept his counsel to himself.
Today, the Teflon coating is beginning to wear off. As Modi grapples with his biggest crisis so far in Lalitgate, old faultlines within BJP are coming to the fore again amid allegations of an insider job by an “aasteen ka saanp” (snake in the grass). Attempts to put up a united front have only reaffirmed internal fractures. Modi’s iron grip over government and party seems to be loosening after a series of public relations disasters that include an election defeat in Delhi, flip-flops on the land bill and the increasing burden of public disappointment in a man who had promised the moon.] http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/paint-it-black/emergency-games-old-warhorse-advani-exploits-new-vulnerability-in-the-modi-dispensation/ Emergency games: Old warhorse Advani exploits new vulnerability in the Modi dispensation June 23, 2015, 12:05 AM IST Arati R Jerath in Paint it Black | Edit Page, India | TOI BJP patriarch L K Advani’s reservations about Narendra Modi are well known. He fought bitterly and publicly to stop Modi from being anointed the party’s PM candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He failed, of course, and when Modi surpassed all expectations to win a comfortable majority for BJP, the first by any party in 30 years, he fell silent. It is interesting, therefore, that he has broken his self-imposed silence at this juncture, as the Modi government enters its second year in office, to fire the Emergency salvo. The ostensible excuse was the upcoming 40th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency on June 25. But between the lines, in his warning about a possible repeat of that dark deed, there seemed to be a message for his party. “At the present time, the forces that can crush democracy … are stronger.” Was he talking about the Modified BJP, as opposition leaders have crowed? ***While he couched his words in ambiguity, Advani did set the cat among the pigeons. His decision to sound an alarm about the current state of the nation and its leadership speaks of the rapidly changing power equations within the Modi dispensation. Last year, Modi was unassailable. So Advani kept his counsel to himself.*** [Emphasis added.] ***Today, the Teflon coating is beginning to wear off. As Modi grapples with his biggest crisis so far in Lalitgate, old faultlines within BJP are coming to the fore again amid allegations of an insider job by an “aasteen ka saanp” (snake in the grass). Attempts to put up a united front have only reaffirmed internal fractures. Modi’s iron grip over government and party seems to be loosening after a series of public relations disasters that include an election defeat in Delhi, flip-flops on the land bill and the increasing burden of public disappointment in a man who had promised the moon.*** [Emphasis added.] Advani has been a veteran of shrewd political timing. He is also an old warhorse who is seeking to be relevant even in retirement. He seems to have decided it’s time to offer some “marg darshan” to his former protégés who look like they are in danger of coming unplugged. He has spoken up because he feels he will be heard today. Opposition parties have naturally jumped in to make the most of an internal strife that Modi and BJP are scrambling to contain. But even as they hail Advani as an elder statesman whose warning should be heeded, the irony can’t be missed. It was Advani who nurtured and promoted the very forces he now cautions against. Yet, it would be unwise to shoot the messenger and lose the message. The deepening of electoral democracy has not prevented the erosion of institutions. Perhaps Advani was simply reminding us that this is why democracy remains under threat. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
