tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32214346.post7294339035143255820..comments2023-09-04T04:48:43.806-07:00Comments on Right Angle: Out of touch (August 25, 2009)Swapan Dasguptahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01862272792815377402noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32214346.post-9431745859633984702009-08-27T22:40:38.580-07:002009-08-27T22:40:38.580-07:00ZoomIndianMedia,
Reading your reaction to Swapan ...ZoomIndianMedia,<br /><br />Reading your reaction to Swapan and his own article, I get a sense that you two do not say different things! Although it appears so!<br /><br />Swapan's argument is that Hindutva cannot be a political ideology (much less an election issue!), particularly when there are many and very different interpretations of the same.<br /><br />Your argument strikes me as saying that a properly articulated Hindutva has to be the bottomline of any recovery.<br /><br />To me these are not contradictory!<br /><br />To give another handle to the issue at hand - to win political power the party needs to generate about 30 crore votes. It does not have that many committed supporters. The gap needs to be met from people outside the current tent. Level of commitment of those who come in afresh may not be identical to those who are already in, but that should not disappoint those who are inside!<br /><br />Actually Govindacharya (whom I consider as one of our own) put it quite well in his interview in Tehelka. That as a political party the BJP will need to figure out an appropriate way (appropriate for a mainstream political party) to articulate Hindutva!<br /><br />So, Sir, let us not fight with friends like Swapan. We need many many more like him!Malayappannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32214346.post-90517559019285867462009-08-26T23:07:13.317-07:002009-08-26T23:07:13.317-07:00Perverted baseless thinking during the last decade...Perverted baseless thinking during the last decade that separated out youth from commitment to native Indian interests was peddled by a motley crowd - likes of Sunil Kulkarni as well as you. This thinking bought in by gullible leadership is the reason BJP is in the woods today. Humpty Dumpty, Tarzan, Alice in Blunderland are well deserved epithets for not just who you called the mofussil man with low cunning.<br /><br />While the reality that BJP's lounge for muslim/xian vote has been politically detrimental has been validated, what has never been validated is the nonsensical position taken by you, some others that BJP articulating commitment to native Indian interests would have electoral penalty. <br /><br />It is facile to argue that Hindu youth and standing up for native Indian interests is mutually exclusive. It is idiocy to allude that a political Hindu does not care for bread butter issues. <br /><br />Many in the BJP, so called sympathetic journos indeed did kite flying without knowing either the art of elevating the kite or understanding how kite is built or fathoming the wind direction. They experimented with BJP and made it manifest their self conceptions without weighing in ground realities heavily influenced by christian democratic west. It is only those who like to bury their heads in sand, ostrich like, that would advocate repeating failed strategies/methods. <br /><br />Riding multiple horses for a long time too has always been passe. <br /><br />Indeed BJP will do well to operationalise Bhagwat's Hindutva commitment that RSS stands first and foremost for interests of native Indians, their beliefs, heritage. This is not to argue that RSS is perfect. As Bhagwat himself accepted, RSS (has weaknesses and) has to change with times. <br /><br />BJP if it has to get out of its morass of the past decade, will need following:<br /><br />a. Coherent definition of Ideology elements such as Hindutva, generate Big Ideas that will have resonance in minds of voters. <br />b. Social Engineering to expand its voter base on economic and social criteria.<br />c. Inspiring leadership of a proven performer like Modi who can bring in the incremental votes (something that Advani 2009 could not achieve)<br /><br />Above three conditions in conjunction are necessary to take BJP forward, not the vacuousness buttressed by St Stephanian type(?) sophistry and high cunning.ZoomIndianMedianoreply@blogger.com