A guide to torturing a BJP supporter

While I was away, I missed commenting on the Advani-Jinnah secularism kerfuffle. If you are like me and you enjoy seeing others in pain, you should try to talk to a BJP supporter about the whole thing.

In the first place, the attack on Advani was quite unfair. He did not explicitly call Jinnah a “secular” person. If you read the speech, you’ll realise that quoting from Jinnah’s speech was a subtle way of taunting his hosts that they had moved away even from Jinnah’s vision for Pakistan. OK – I know that I am stretching it, but even if it doesn’t seem like it, just say it to the anguished BJP supporter and watch his face light up. So when the BJP supporter blames the media for the problem, (being a BJP supporter means that he will inevitably blame the secular media for something, or he is not a true BJP supporter) point out that it was the RSS and the VHP who pounced on Advani, and shouldn’t they have gone through the text of the speech before pouncing?

Now the true (i.e. hardcore) BJP supporter usually will not criticize the RSS. So he will say something like “Advani should have clarified the statement instead of going into a huff” at which point you point out that if you are 78 years old, have a “distinguished” record of service to the Hindutva cause and are the President of the party to boot, if someone like Togadia calls you a traitor, what on earth are you supposed to feel? At this point, the BJP supporter’s despair will be complete. It is a good idea, by the way, to keep a digital camera handy to capture the moment.

3 thoughts on “A guide to torturing a BJP supporter”

  1. It’s a good one
    But Don’t you think it has more to do with the BJP factionalism than the “Ideological differences” that said to have between the RSS and BJP. With the latest devolopments of Advani firing Khurana and Vajpayee re opening the “pandora’s box” with his HV sheshadri tribute speach . Whomever wins the rat race, all set to lose is BJP’s image as a Party with a Difference and it’s cadre functionality and character .

  2. Well… yes and no. The differences between Advani/BJP and the RSS are somewhat ideological. The RSS sincerely and honestly believes that the recent failures of the BJP occurred because the party strayed from its core ideology. Of course, they want to chuck out the Advani/Vajpayee combo and take control of what they think is their prodigal son gone wrong. That will naturally entail a power struggle. To find out whether the RSS guys sincerely want to take power in order to save the party or they are seeking power for control’s sake, you have to read their minds, something we are not capable of doing.

    On the other hand, many II gen BJP leaders are using the RSS shoulder to fire at Advani and Vajpayee. Their motivation is clear. They want to take control over the party with RSS help. Of course, once they get control they will need to win elections and at that time they will have to do the same balancing act Advani/Vajpayee did. But the RSS calculation is that the younger guys will prove more pliant.

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