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It’s poll time in two weeks, will the BJP trust its wisdom or succumb to instinct? The BJP’s reputation as politically the most astute party is entirely deserved. The only uncharitable thing you might say to that is, something like, look at the competition! But seriously, in the post-Bofors phase, the BJP has scripted its politics with a skill and panache that the competition has simply failed to figure out. The result is this very stable, and very effective, coalition, a reasonably good government, rapid economic growth, arrival of modern infrastructure, a pragmatic and rewarding foreign policy and pretty good law and order — besides that one blot of Gujarat. So, as the party, and the entire political system, goes into the election mode again, what is the BJP thinking while devising its strategy for 2003 (the state elections) and then the big one in 2004? What should be the agenda? Hindutva, soft or hard? Or a larger, more mainstream — in fact even more secular — idea of better governance, even Ramrajya. The way the party’s brass has lately vacillated over the VHP’s shenanigans in Ayodhya would still indicate some confusion. Certainly, there are those in the party, and its ideological sister-organisations, who would rather look to Narendra Modi for inspiration. The Vajpayee-Advani formula so far has given us a mere coalition, but Modi brought us absolute majority, they will say, and so which route should now be preferred is a no-brainer. Then why did the latest march to Ayodhya fail so dismally? The campaign has flopped but its leaders would say that is because the BJP brass did not warm up to it. That rather than join it, create real commotion even if it means sacrificing this NDA coalition and forcing early elections, and then ride that wave to a glorious Modi-like victory, they have chosen the easier option of joining hands with Mulayam Singh Yadav to maintain order.
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