> 2009/6/22 lukhman_khan <lukhman_k...@yahoo.com> > >> > I don't think the BJP lost because of the "hindutva-RSS >> > cancer", but rather due to bad campaign and worse candidates.
Swapan Dasgupta, who is a known BJP supporter wrote that many Indians looked at what's happening in Pakistan with the Taliban and got put off by hard core Hindutva (please don't ask me to define it :-) Also, the shrill campaign against Manmohan Singh recoiled against them. This Sunday's Indian Express had a column by Sudheendra Kulkarni who would have been adviser to the PM, if Advani became PM. Apparently, Vajpayee once asked, "Yeh Hindutva kya hai?" As an aside, a journalist from Bangalore called me about the BJP IT vision. I liked some parts of it and said so, but she was fishing for critical comments. One of my friends was also quoted in that article criticizing the BJP IT Vision document (four quotes of his versus one of mine). Apparently, the journalist was so miffed with the Shri Ram Sene incident that she wanted to hit out at the BJP any which way possible. Venky
