Swapan Dasgupta in The Indian Express:
“It is striking that despite being a beneficiary of rudderless governance [of the UPA], the NDA is not confident of notching up a clear victory. BJP strategists are worried that the next election will have only a handful of national issues, notably terrorism, the crisis of agriculture and, maybe, inflation. The ultimate verdict, it is felt, will be shaped in the states where the NDA has a local anti-incumbency to cope with. In short, the next election could well be a zero-sum game….
“From 1990 till 2004, the BJP was justifiably proud of its ability to set the political agenda and redraw the electoral map. Yet, with barely a year to go before the UPA completes its full term, the party’s political positioning remains remarkably fuzzy. There is some awareness of what the BJP opposes but remarkably little clarity over the NDA’s agenda of governance….
“It is undeniable that in the past four years the central BJP has appeared to be out of tune with the impulses of a youthful and modern India. Interestingly, this is not the case with the BJP state governments, particularly the administrations run by Narendra Modi and Vasundhara Raje. Modi’s victory last December was, in fact, propelled by the enthusiasm of the New India that the BJP seems so anxious to alienate.”
Read the full article: Yesterday no more
BJP had only one agenda, one programme, one philosophy, one poll issue all the time……saffron. And they know this decadent religious fundamentalism is never going to succeed in an economically resurgent India.
“economically resurgent India”
Smells familiar…
I agree.
BJP is not playing its role as a “constructive opposition” which criticizes the acts of Government.
Criticism is not only negative. They shouldn’t be shying away from appreciating the good things which government does, and helping them achieve things which are good for the country.
They are trying to fish only wrong things, that too not in a manner which is appealing to people, and which helps the citizen of the country.
They didn’t even come up with a study of the budget presented by the FM, and explain to people of the country what is good and what is bad in the budget, which according to me was a very easy way to reach out to the people of the country.
There is no leadership which is guiding the BJP, and they are confused about the path to take, and aimless.
Dasgupta has a point. The BJP leadership at the center has bungled on many occasions since it got back to being opposition. It has gone ballistic on the ruling party and the government on all the wrong issues and has ignored the issues that will project it as a responsible, pro-development party. They are better off with someone like Narendra Modi at the national level than advani.
@AnonyMys
Point noted. Any thing else that we haven’t heard ??
What is a better alternative? If the HIndutva line is curbed, it can still lead India. It is the one who brought in smart people like Abdul Kalam who is a national role model. ICongress has no one commanding any respect. BJP had a lot of repectable MP”S. If it can contain itself from trying to rewrite history, it can become the force to mobilize India. The Congress has to rely on a barely educated widow to unify it as a party and if this continues RAhul Gandhi’s Hispanic girlfriend will be in the line for leadership.