The Advani fiasco is an instance in point. The octogenarian BJP patriarch vehemently opposed the elevation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to the parliamentary board - the party’s top most decision making body. By doing so Advani has brought disrepute not only to himself but also to the party which he built brick by brick as his opposition to Modi is reflecting his urgency to make 7 Race Course his residence.

The larger question here is - Will it be fair to pin the blame squarely on the shoulders of the patriarch? Is the central leadership alone responsible for the mess that the principal opposition party is in today? We need to brush up our memory a little bit. Recently the fracas between Kabindra Purakayastha who represents Silchar in the Lok Sabha and his younger brother Kirit Purakayastha has hogged the attention of the local media. It has shown that all is not well in the Cachar unit of BJP as well. In the midst of these squabbles can the leadership claim that they are a party with a difference? It will be apt for the observers to call BJP a party with differences. The Cachar unit of the saffron brigade organized a ‘jail bharo andolan’ in protest against the non-performance of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-2 government in Delhi. The BJP accuses the UPA of suffering from policy paralysis - a charge which certainly cannot be denied altogether. But the common people too have every right to ask BJP - Are you not suffering from policy paralysis? If we minutely look at the political trajectory of India then we come to the conclusion that barring Congress, no other political force has been able to give the grand old party a run for its money because there was not a unified political opposition to Congress. But Atal Behari Vajpayee broke the jinx and ran a coalition government for six years and the veteran BJP leader created history not by running a non-Congress government in Delhi but also by giving Indians an alternative to Congress which was badly required for our democracy. Post – Vajpayee, the party has become rudderless and leaderless and most importantly it has failed to strike the right chords with the common masses and to a certain extent infighting among the leaders has also put BJP under the scanner.

To drive home my point I will raise some vital issues and I firmly believe  it will help clear the dust. Let me begin with Kabindra Purakayastha the incumbent MP from Silchar.
 
Cachar BJP’s messy affairs

In the last Lok Sabha polls he won from Silchar but at that point of time he was helped by AIUDF supremo Badruddin Ajmal who snatched a sizeable amount of minority votes and ensured the defeat of Sontosh Mohan Dev who always considered Silchar his fiefdom. Sontosh Mohan Dev ended his political career in the ‘third position’ and the massive polarization helped BJP’s best bet Kabindra Purakayastha to pass with flying colours. Kabindra appealed to the voters to elect him as he declared that he will take retirement in 2014 and to be precise he now needs to make way for the next generation. But unfortunately his fracas with Kirit has put the party into a tizzy and it will not be wrong to term ‘Kabindra babu as the Advani of Barak valley’.

The party’s decision to court arrest in protest against the UPA government at this juncture when the poll bugle is about to be sounded reflects the saffron brigade’s poor political prowess. On the eve of the assembly polls Tarun Gogoi during his campaign trail in Barak Valley promised to gift this part of South Assam a Rs 1,000 crore package which is still waiting to see the light of the day. Unfortunately the Cachar unit of BJP has failed to coax the ruling party on this significant issue.

For the post of BJP’s district president denizens of Silchar witnessed a drama - the script had every Bollywood masala required for a political thriller. Kabindra was opposing his younger brother Kirit’s re-election to the post as it would have then put his clout in his party under question. Kabindra is very concerned about his son Kanad who he wants to carry forward his political legacy. Is this not a brazen example of dynastic politics? Can BJP accuse Congress of being a family oriented party? Does it then suit BJP to claim that it is a party with a difference?  I have faith in your judgment and so I will not try to impose my opinions on you all.

Performance of Kabindra Purakayastha

The BJP accuses the UPA of suffering from policy paralysis - a charge which certainly cannot be denied altogether. But the common people too have every right to ask BJP - Are you not suffering from policy paralysis?

Apart from being a politician Kabindra babu has one more identity. Prior to joining politics he was a teacher and so when Silchar got to know that the party has nominated a teacher to represent this underdeveloped zone the people were ecstatic. But all their hopes were dashed and for this the incumbent MP needs to answer. He talked about the poor communication problem and he promised that he will do something about it. Agreed, he has been in the opposition but has our MP been able to spearhead a movement against the non-completion of Silchar-Lumding BG conversion project which is looming in the lurch till date? Barak Valley since times immemorial has never been fortune’s favourite and there is not a single industry in Barak Valley though Sontosh Mohan’s MLA daughter Sushmita Dev claims that her father is synonymous with development. The paper mill is in a shambles. Can our incumbent MP claim to have done something spectacular in turning around the fortune of the dying paper mill? For 30 years Sontosh Mohan dominated the politics here in Barak Valley. He was even a steel minister in the P.V. Narasimha Rao - led Congress government. He was a minister of state with independent charge. Sontosh could have done many things but he failed and he got the verdict of the people. But can Kabindra claim to have done anything special, anything catchy?

Today, when the local BJP leaders were shouting slogans against the policies of the UPA government, I was thinking that now when the Lok Sabha polls are round the corner these ‘so-called mass leaders’ should be asked - why should we vote for you? I am certain this simple question will rob them of some sleep. The reality is - our political class has taken the common voters for a ride. Sadly today in India the entire politics revolves around the magic number - 272.

My article might annoy the BJP leaders but I have laid before my readers the facts and it has been said that the truth is always bitter. BJP will not gain anything simply by blaming the Congress. It needs to come up with a vision document. No more mudslinging, no more shedding of crocodile tears on the issue of secularism. Those who are residing in India are citizens of this country and the policies should be made by keeping in mind the overall development of each caste and community. The leaders cutting across political affiliations need to change their functioning because the electorate in the 21st century has learned the art of asking and demanding. The public outrage at Janttar Manttar on Jan Lokpal issue and the atrocities on women stands testimony to this observation. The leaders should also understand that today is the age of Shahbag Square, Lubyanka Square, Tahrir Square and Taksim Square. On the eve of the polls, these questions will surely help the aspirants script their denouement in a manner which will at least put them on a different level. The infighting in BJP’s Hailakandi unit where a section of leaders have upped their ante against the organizational secretary Saikat Dutta Choudhury accusing him of running the party according to his whims and fancies once again puts BJP in an embarrassing situation and gives an opportunity to the trackers of politics like me to ask - which way BJP?