New Delhi: Even two days after BJP wound up its National Executive in Bhubaneswar, the larger import of the meeting - especially that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concluding remarks - is still being discussed and debated within the top echelons of the party.
Lost in the hullabaloo of the gala celebrations to mark the emphatic victory in the just concluded state Assembly polls, was Prime Minister’s cautioning note to party leaders to guard against the maladies of power.
“It was a very powerful intervention. Prime Minister delved into all things the party stood for in the past when it was in opposition and Congress dominated the discourse. And he made it clear that when in power, we should desist from indulging in things we fought against all these years," said a senior party leader.
The Prime Minister, in his speech, spoke about the sacrifice made by the cadre during formative years.
“He recalled how we sacrificed for a larger cause and sought to fight for issues we believed in - even at the cost of ignoring our families at times. So under no circumstances we should be complacent," said a senior BJP leader.
Prime Minister’s comments were also being seen as warning against the Congressisation of the party which has registered an exponential growth in the last three years-both electoral and ideological.
“There is a hunger in the BJP to grow and become an all-India party. The next target is obviously East and Southern India. But for us as a political organisation, it is equally important to maintain a distinct identity that sets us apart,” says a party general secretary.
For electoral gains, BJP in the last three years has not shied away from bringing into its fold Congress turncoats. Congress-mukt Bharat is a declared goal.
However, the consequent metamorphosis due to imports - both in political culture and outlook - has been of concern to the RSS as well.
Power politics has its own perils, and political transformation, though slow, can impact an ideology-bound cadre based party to engender irreversible transmutative changes.
“There are two distinct components in an egg. The egg-white and the yellow-yolk. To dish out a good omelette, one has to mix the two properly. Similarly in politics, hope and credibility are the critical ingredients. And Modi knows any dent in the image- especially credibility- can be detrimental in the perception battle. So far, no allegations by the opposition against his government have really stuck," he says.
While he takes care of governance, the organsational build-up, on the other hand, is very nearly completely delegated by the PM to party president Amit Shah.
The task before the next Lok Sabha elections is clearly cut out. In the next five months, Shah will be extensively touring, focusing on areas where BJP is traditionally weak- especially eastern and southern States.
And he starts this campaign on the 10th May, from Tamil Nadu, where he will be spending three days to meet and interact with party workers at the booth level.
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