BJP Leadership in Disarray: Sudheendra Kulkarni

[My addition: Does BJP want to mourn its win??!! It seems so along with the media, who likes to come out with stories everyday, weeping on the BJPs' remarkable performance in some states. Except the south India, where BJP does not have any presence, or in Rajasthan/Uttar Pradesh, BJP did well and should be elated by electoral performance.

However, BJP is again trying to fall in the media trap. It earlier fell on booby-trap laid by a private channel on Varun Gandhi episode. It did a terrible mistake by disassociating itself from the Varun Gandhi issue, in the hope of getting the votes of Muslims, which was wrong and too much wrong. This irritated many Hindus who voted against the Party.

Besides this the BJP did Not use the services of leaders like Mr.Praful Goradia or Mr.Narendra Modi to the full potential in places like Uttar Pradesh when they knew there is a consolidation of Muslim votes going on, in favour of anti-BJP forces.

Besides this while Rahul Gandhi toured India, BJP did nothing for the rescue of Varun Gandhi, who was in Jail, except sending out platitudes and giving speeches on Television---as if Varun Gandhi was not at all an Issue. BJP even could not ulitlise the hate speech of one of the Congress leaders in Andhra Pradesh to their benefits--when you are in a war, stop thinking of ethics too much.

I do not understand why BJP gives so much ear to this anglicized media--let the dogs bark loudly, how it affects to elephant. BJP should learn from Shiv Sena as how to stop dissent in the Party and move ahead.

Also, BJP should remember that, except in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan they did well and should be patted on the back. Instead of weeping over the electoral outcome, they should rejoice........

I am appalled to see the BJP instead of celebrating their victory are busy mourning their wins--when can the BJP think of positivism. I DO NOT CONSIDER THIS AS DEFEAT AT ALL.....

Look at the condition of the Congress in Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, etc. Are all these flukes?? The problem is that some paper tigers like Mr.Kulkarni (Who is an outsider in BJP having Left leanings) or Dr.Swapan Das Gupta are trying to exploit the party to the hilt. ....

Moreover, just let me when did Muslims came out and spontaneously voted for the BJP in the last 20 years and also how many Muslim votes did Mr. A V Vajpayee get in the earlier elections?? If the majority of Muslims and Christians are not giving votes to BJP then what is the use of giving them plump positions or Party tickets or look for their votes for electoral win--this is useless. All those who are advocating this myth including Brajesh Mishra are simply fooling people....Muslim never ever voted for the BJP in mass scale and I do not think it is going to change too much in future. It is also not necessary to get the votes of all sections of society to win elections. Do MIM get the votes of Hindus?? If they get also, they are not dependent on Hindu votes for winning.

How do Shiv Sena win so many seats even it is a Pure Hindu Party?? BJP should introspect.....

If majority of Muslims have made up their mind that they would oppose BJP on Ram Janmabhoomi Issue, in every elections, then alright---why not accept the challenge and work for it.....Fortune favours the brave. Why always remain cowards and mourn the Wins.

Mr.Kulkarni is right when he says, "BJP needed to rethink its approach to Muslims, Hindutva, the poor, the RSS and itself."

But Mr.Kulkarni should note that if Mr.Mahesh Jethmalani, whose wife is a Muslim could lose from Bombay on BJP ticket, how can he say that majority of Muslims voted for BJP in Maharastra??!! Most of them voted the same rotten Congress-NCP alliance in Maharastra, which was responsible for Mumbai Carnage.

The BJP should be either a Party which would raise the problems of Nationalistic Indians or it should be a pure Hindu Party--there should not be any middle-path. Moreover, all the undisciplined workers should be sacked including Muktar Abbas Naqbi, Dr. Nazma Heptullah, etc. who were not able to garner the votes of their communities.

I think it will be better if the party leadership is handed over to Dr.Murli Monahar Joshi so that strict action can be taken against non-performers. Mr.Rajnath Singh did his best but what will he do if some of his own partymen sabotages at the end.

Also all those leaders from Rajasthan (Ms.Vasundhara Raje group) should be sacked immediately for Party's poor showing. Moreover, Mr.Varun Gandhi or Ms.Maneka Gandhi should be asked to lead Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, J & K and Delhi or in places wherever there is a large section of sikhs.

Top BJP leadership should remember/understand that Hindus vote them so that their problems are raised in Parliament and not to form meaningless coalitions or to form sham governments in states...]
The BJP was "enfeebled" by so much "disarray" at the top never before witnessed in its history and its prime ministerial candidate L K Advani himself "failed" to assert his leadership at "crucial points", says a key party strategist while analysing its poll debacle.
Sudheendra Kulkarni, who is also a close aide of Advani, while giving an insight into the factors behind BJP's defeat in the Lok Sabha elections cited confusion about Hindutva, failure to overcome the party's limited social base, negativism in its campaign and a leadership in disarray.
Writing in Tehelka magazine, Kulkarni said the BJP needed to rethink its approach to Muslims, Hindutva, the poor, the RSS and itself.
The BJP's failure to convince the people on the need for a change was rooted in a combination of structural, political, ideological, organisational and campaign-related reasons.
"On the top of all these, we had the Varun Gandhi episode in the middle of the election campaign , which , along with other factors, clearly led to the consolidation of Muslim votes in favour of the Congress in UP."
Kulkarni also said the cropping up of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's name in the middle of the campaign did not help at all.
"Never in the history of the Jana Sangh or the BJP was the party enfeebled by so much disarray at the top. The disorder at the centre and also in several states like Rajasthan, UP and Delhi demoralised the disunited party workers down the line with disastrous results," he said.
"It is also true that Advani himself failed to assert his leadership at crucial points before and during the campaign," he added.
"Look at the irony. Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul made an essentially weak Prime Minister like Dr. Manmohan Singh look strong by backing him solidly," Kulkarni said, adding, "In contrast, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar made a strong leader like Advani, whose contribution to the growth of the party is enormous, look weak, helpless and not fully in command."
Saddened by this, Kulkarni said many dedicated party workers bemoaned, "Atalji succeeded in becoming Prime Minister because he had Advaniji working for him faithfully and determinedly. Unfortunately this time, there was no Advaniji working similarly for Advaniji."
On BJP's future, he said the BJP can indeed bounce back.
"But it can do so only if it first renews and empowers itself comprehensively — in its ideology, its geographical-social spread, its own political strength, its mass activity, its alliance-building, its cadre-based organizational network, and its leadership."
Kulkarni said he also carried his share of responsibility for the party's defeat.
"As one who was closely associated with the party’s election campaign, specifically the campaign of L K Advani, our prime ministerial candidate, I too committed mistakes," he said.
To be meaningful, productive and curative, collective introspection in the party must begin with each one individually, Kulkarni said.
Collective responsibility is a laudable principle, but it can often become a mask for persons in key positions at the central and state levels to evade their individual responsibility, Kulkarni said, adding, "This has often happened in the BJP."