BJP leadership discussing with veterans issues raised by them: Nitin Gadkari

Lal Krishna Advani and three other BJP veterans have issued a strong statement on the party’s defeat in Bihar, demanding a thorough review and criticising its stand on the debacle.

On a morning Narendra Modi took off for Britain, a die-hard loyalist of his in the BJP was glued to the TV set, waiting to see if the Prime Minister had tweaked his “body language” on foreign terrain.

The Home Minister also dismissed the suggestion that several BJP leaders were not listening to party chief Amit Shah and continue to make controversial statements.

In a statement, the party veterans said the party has been “emasculated” in the last one year and was being “forced to kowtow to a handful”.

“The role of the prime minister is to govern the country, and not become the lead campaigner in a state election”, one senior BJP state leader said, asking not to be named.

Indeed, Manoj Ladwa, a London-based British Gujarati solicitor, was part of Modi’s media makeover dream team in the prelude to 2014 with Prashant Kishor, now Nitish Kumar’s victory strategist. “Both know the BJP and the RSS inside out, they are the two “intelligent” faces of the organisations, and have established a reputation over the years of being good political strategists preferring always to function as the ‘backroom boys” that gives them the space and flexibility they both work best with.

“Bihar results show that no lesson has been learnt from the fiasco in Delhi”.

“We are all proud of our Prime Minister, the country is moving forward”.

Back in Delhi, Mr Modi’s prestige is damaged. In short, don’t expect Mr Modi to dwell on Bihar for too long. “The main target is Amit Shah”, said Mr Sudhir Panwar, a political analyst and member of the Uttar Pradesh Planning Commission.

THE eastern state of Bihar has a population close in size to that of the Philippines: elections to its assembly matter greatly to its more than 100m, largely poor inhabitants. The BJP was compelled to take such a decision anticipating a stormy Winter Session in Parliament, beginning November 26, when it would require the support of Trinamul Congress MPs to pass crucial bills in the Upper House.

Attempting to pit the Hindu castes against Muslims-the BJP also made much of protecting the cow, sacred to many Hindus-was reprehensible. “I would not like to say anything about it, since I was not the in-charge of Bihar, nor I went there”, he said.

“The BJP needs to rethink its (Hindu) strategy, but I doubt they will undertake a course correction”.