You don`t say!
Darius Nakhoonwala
From a long term point of view the biggest story last week was the change of leadership in the BJP when L K Advani made way for a successor. Every newspaper commented on it but none managed to note that such a thing would be impossible in the Congress where only the members of the Gandhi family are allowed to be top dog.
The Telegraph focused on a non-issue, namely, that Mr Rajnath Singh, was a "compromise candidate". So what. As long as the succession is smooth? It was a lazy edit because soon it lost focus and meandered into unrelated sub-themes such as the circumstances of Mr Advani`s exit. But it did point out that the RSS was surprised at the resistance from within the BJP leadership to changing the leader. "Very few among the leaders were willing to let the BJP slide to the position of being a mere outcrop of Nagpur."
The Hindu also failed to make the comparison with the Congress. But surely it could have referred to its own darling, the CPM, which also manages succession smoothly. "The choice came as an anti-climax. No sound and fury, apparently no behind-the-scenes lobbying, no bombshell announcements." O dear. What a pity. But did it say the same thing when Prakash Karat became the boss of the CPM?
"Mr. Singh is a nuts and bolts organisational man… However, the narrow vision he brings to the job can be severely limiting." Well, yes, but can`t we say that about Karat as well?
But it made a valid point when it wrote "Even their worst enemies will not deny that Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Advani are formidable pan-Indian political leaders. In contrast, Mr. Singh is saddled with a Hindi-Hindu image dear to the RSS but unlikely to make an impact on people in most of India. The leadership debate in the BJP is far from over. Mr. Singh will soon be anointed as the Hindutva party`s chief but who is the party`s Prime Ministerial candidate?"
The Deccan Herald for some reason focused on Atal Behari Vajpayee`s announcement bidding farewell to electoral politics and said "It is not clear how seriously the announcement should be taken. He has threatened to quit at least twice in the past when the BJP was in power. On both occasions, the announcement was used with dramatic effect. It was followed by other BJP leaders pleading with Mr Vajpayee to change his mind. There is a possibility that Thursday`s announcement too is part of a similar strategy."
It then slid off to discuss Mr Vajpayee`s anointment of Mr Mahajan as Laxman. "Mr Vajpayee`s public endorsement has elevated Mr Mahajan`s status in the party, something that is bound to irk people like Sushma Swaraj and Venkaiah Naidu. Mr Mahajan is said to be close to Rajnath Singh, who is poised to take over as the party president soon. The anointment that Mr Mahajan received on Thursday is likely to result in a situation where Mr Singh will act as party president but Mr Mahajan will wield real power."
Come on friends, I know you are from the south of the Vindhyas, and have no real knowledge of north Indian politics. But, please it is time to get real.
The Business Standard was more philosophical and took a longer view of things. "A 75-year-old ideology in a 25-year-old body: that is the central dilemma confronting the BJP", it said. "The confusion within the BJP as to how to deal with this problem has been manifesting itself at two levels. One is its relationship with the RSS and the other is its dithering over the choice over a new president to replace Mr Advani."
About Rajnath Singh it said "his allegiance to Mr Advani should make for a smooth transition. He is still in his 50s, and can therefore appeal to both the old and the young."
The Hindustan Times had nothing noteworthy to say. The Pioneer fawned, just as the CPM mouthpiece did when Karat was appointed.
contact: Darius.Nakhoonwala@gmail.com