I believe it is safe to declare that the Bhartiya Janata Party is no more. And with this has come to an end an era of the might of the right!....Love it or Hate it, you'd have to agree that the BJP was the only viable alternative to Congressraj and in its heydays, it gave the Congress quite a run for its money. From 1996, when Vajpayee was chosen to lead the first Non-Congress government till 2004, when shockingly it failed to return to power, BJP symbolized a union of nationalism, middle class aspirations and regional sentiments. Until 1999, nobody believed that a khichdi sarkar propped up with the support of regional parties could ever last in this country, the fact that the NDA lasted its full term, prompted alliance-averse parties like the Congress to seek partners, ultimately using BJP's own tactics to humble it.
For many, BJP represented an entire generation brought up on Anti-Congresseism. From Indira Gandhi's witless emergency to Rajiv's multi-million Bofors Scam. In those days many believed that half of India's woes would end if only Congress could be thrown out of power. After all, what had Congress delivered to the people in 50 years?- Poverty, Illiteracy and Corruption!! However, the alternatives to Congress were not easy to come by. The khichdi Janata Party Sarkar was probably the worst example of a non-Congress dispensation. As its ministers squabbled amongst themselves, the much despised Indira Gandhi re-emerged as Bharat ki beti and swept the carpet under Janata's feet by returning to power. Even the most optimistic of Congress bashers acceded that there could be no India without Congress. The National Front governments led by Chadrashekhar & VP Singh were hardly better. They ensured the return of Congress government, in spite of the Sri Lanka fiasco, The Punjab militancy and the Bofors scandal.
Those who allege that BJP could not have become a mass party without its militant Ram Janmabhoomi Aandolan are not completely without reason. In 1984, BJP held 2 seats in the Lok Sabha, by 1991, it controlled 120 seats. However, the fact is that BJP rode to power not on the backs of Kar Sevaks but inspite of them. Middle Class India abhors miltant communalism and yet they voted for BJP en masse in 1996. For them, BJP symbolized change, a break from the past that they were willing to forget. 2 years later, BJP emerged as the champion of middle classes and liberalization and formed the first stable non-congress regime at the centre. Pokhran, Relations with the US, Kargil, IT Boom, Bharat Uday are all souvenirs of that era.
And look how today the mighty have fallen... Leaders squabbling among themselves, Accusations flying everywhere, Veterans being forced to quit.... BJP today is as bereft of ideology as was Congress under Sitaram Kesari...As mother RSS dithers and watches its own creation tear itself apart, one can only wonder if BJP will ever recover!
