On Thursday 25 Jun 2009 8:26:34 am lukhman_khan wrote: > For the BJP to ditch its ideology, it has to ditch itself.
You give too much credit to the individual politicans who make up the BJP. When a man holds on to his ideology in spite of personal reverses, he is "dedicated". When a man ditches his ideology when it is not working, he is a politician. The BJP will survive by ditching the temple over masjid brand of Hindutva. Just look at Anupam Ahuja stoutly defending her servant-girl-raping husband, Shiney Ahuja. This can't go on very long. They will not ditch Hindutva, but they will define it and give it a new name. Already I have heard one stupid name being suggested - "nationalism". That is a word that dates back to the 1920s at least as recorded by Nirad Chaudhuri. That word, like "hindutva' is tainted. It is perfectly OK for a political party want to represent Hindus. But it might be a good idea to represent all Indians. After coming to prominence by demolishing Babri Masjid - the BJP was stuck on a groove that tended to claim that the ultimate goal for all Hindus was to build a temple over the mosque in Ayodhya. The few brownie points gained after the 1998 test were frittered away in the nuclear debate. The BJP will have to rebuild itself from ground up, and without Advani. shiv
