I guess I will do a “shree ganesh” of the blog on a somber note by adding a quick first post on Jaswant Singh’s ouster from the BJP.
First and foremost, the manner in which the whole affair was handled by the entire top leadership was shameful and unbecoming. All the standard protocol and courtesy that was typically accorded to small time state leaders who dissented in the past, was denied to a long time party worker like Jaswant. It will send a wrong signal to the party cadre and sypathisers and will dampen already gloomy mood in the party . On on much larger level, it only surfaces some of the doubts people have had for a long time. That the BJP has become a party of organizational dysfunction, intellectual bankruptcy and is on a perpetual power race to the bottom. It is high time for it to introspect the decaying culture. And the party who’s roots go back to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, should start by ensuring a basic of decency and fairness for its loyal partymen.
Without reading the book, it does appear that Jaswant Singh’s thesis singles out Nehru, Patel and the British for the partition debacle more than Jinnah. The book also allegedly make a bold proclamation that Indian Muslims are a completely alienated lot who still suffers from the scars of the partition. I would completely disagree with the latter and partially disagree with the former. But this post is not about a critical review of his argument, that is for another day. However, it is important to point out that Jaswant Singh’s argument would have gone straight in the face of 62 years of ideological position of most of Indian political parties. So to that extent, action against him as a political leader was almost inevitable.
As it is said, timing is everything. If Jaswanthad written this after declaring his retirement from politics, there would be very little tamasha that would have followed it. But for the sitting BJP MP from Darjeeling to express such a view, there was bound to be controversy.
Dispite my broad disagreement with some of the key arguments, I am glad that there is a serious work done on a topic that rarely gets public scrutiny, but the price Jaswant Singh, the BJP and Indian polity in general has had to pay, may turn out to be much higher than what the publisher might charge the average reader today.
Let me take the opportunity to be the first one to post a comment for u..
I completely agree with u varang.
It was a complete shock for most of the people to know the views of Jaswant Singh on Nehru, Sardar Patel and especially Mr. Jinnah. These were completely diverse from the party views and ideologies of which he has been a part for more than 30 years.I am not sure if these are just views or backed by proper evidences and circumstances.But this we’l know once we read the book. Mr. Singh has had a long illustrious political career with good reputation and respect not only among the party but also among the general public, but this is a thing of past now. It has ended in a very unfortunate manner.
The disciplinary action that BJP has taken was completely unavoidable according to me as they had to take a stand for their political ideologies but at the same time it was performed in an unprofessional manner.
But as you said timing is important and it seems that its not the right time for Mr. singh either ways!!
Now BJP has to focus on its future and how it can survive as a party.
Lastly, I would like to comgratulate you for this blog.. keep up the good work!!
Indian politics sometimes tends to defy logic, but the recent behavior of BJP national leadership both as a group and in many cases as individuals, seems to defy logic to such a degree that one begins to question whether they have all given up on the party.
The BJP leadership in its Chintan Baithak seemed to have treated the symptoms rather than the disease itself as far as its poll debacle in the last Lok Sabha elections was concerned. It would have been more appropriate for the party to go into reasons for poll debacle & define a strategy for corrective measures that it contemplates to take rather than diverting public attention by dismissing Jashwant Singh ji summarily.
The party defied the rule of natural justice & protocol. It would have been more appropriate if a chance of being heard was given to Mr. Singh. You don’t dismiss a person even if he had walked into party yesterday, there are some procedures enumerated in the party constitution to be followed. Mr. Singh was a stalwart who had been working for the party for no less than thirty years.
There are instances where even textbooks are re-written or modified at the instance of the vested interest?
I cannot postulate upon Mr. Jaswant Singh’s expulsion from the Bharatiya Janata Party until I read Jinnah – India, Partition.
What troubles me is the manner in which Mr. Singh was treated by the party leadership.
“I am worried and sad that just one book has led to my expulsion,” Mr. Singh commented soon after, wondering what would happen if “soch, vichar and chintan” (thinking and introspection) stopped in Indian politics.
It seems that the BJP leadership gave “Chintan” the backseat during the “baithak.”
Excellent evaluation of the present situation of Indian politics! One thing is very clear that without effective & aimful leadership, nothing will lead to success. It can be compared with the academic examination- we attend the questions first, which we can answer the best! Congress does the same thing by booking votes of specific segments & gets the passing marks in the exam. of Indian politics. They know that getting passing marks will serve their purpose & need not work for ditinction or outstanding performance. BJP had created a separate identity & had worked well and was in right direction. Majority of mass which do not go for voting is BJP segment & party should work on this segment. Once you are in power, then only the ideologies of any party will work , then publication of any book or visiting any place will not matter.