On Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 7:21 AM, ss <[email protected]> wrote: > > Who exactly is this "core Hindu" who is supposed to vote for the BJP? > > The expression core Hindu is sleight of hand, or perhaps "sleight of words" > that is used retrospectively to describe the BJP voter. If you vote for BJP > you are core Hindu. That definition is a sort of taunt at Hindus who do not > vote for BJP: > > "Since you have not voted for BJP you are NOT core Hindus. You are an > Italian, > Christian, Muslim sympathizers" > > It is this fiddling with semantics that helped screw the BJP. It is one > thing > to win support. It is a different matter to mock and taunt those who do not > support you as being unpatriotic, anti-nationa, non nationalist, > paseudo-secular. This is what I found the BJP and its constituency doing. > > I think the BJP is most definitely in denial about the causes for their election loss. A point was made earlier in this thread that poor selection of candidates was a factor that led to their downfall. True, but when you give a ticket to people like Ashok Sahu, then this is nor poor selection in the sense of not having a finger on the pulse of the voters, rather it's a poor selection based on an ideology that frankly scares most people.
While they were dealing with a "soft hindutva" issue such as the construction of a temple at a site which is not a masjid by Qu'ranic standards, then even liberal educated Hindus find it easier to ask themselves the question "Why not?" instead of "Why?". The difference is significant - it is one of immediate, instinctive acceptance v. dissonance. The latter lends momentum. When the same issue is replaced by violence in Guj or Orissa, the ludicrous targeting of women (almost exclusively the sufferers of violence were women or men accompaying women who were chastised for permitting such women to come to a pub) then most people find it difficult to fathom. Now they're making noises re-iterating the Hindutva core without conceding that that identation now creates the imagery of a violent christian-and-muslim=killing psycho hindu. Then there was the opposition to the nuclear deal which was just indefensible given their past stand. On all counts I think they are so disconnected with the issues that affected them in this election and the issues that make them appear truly communal now rather than a party that is unfairly being branded communal by a bunch of parties that don't know the first thing about secularism. The BJP needs a new face both in terms of an ideological shift and fresh leadership. At the moment it appears incapable of generating either.
