Goofed Up?

Consider the factors loaded in favour of the BJP-led NDA. There is, of course, the towering figure of A.B. Vajpayee, who for all his "masterly doublespeak", is the undisputed choice of over 60 per cent of the electorate. Then there is the record of this government which can't be dismissed. India's place in the sun is increasingly secure, while the international community perceives us with a respect and admiration which grow by the hour. I did not think I'd live to see the day when India 'steals' jobs from the United States and this nation's success becomes an issue in the US presidential elections. Finally, there is the disarray in the Congress—a result partly of Sonia sycophancy and largely of bankruptcy of ideas. If you add up all these advantages, incumbency or no incumbency, it should have been a cakewalk for Vajpayee and his coalition.

But is the BJP such a smart party? Are Messrs Mahajan, Jaitley, Naidu, not to mention L.K. Advani, omniscient as far as tactics and strategy are concerned? I don't wish to downplay their skills, especially since they seem to have just succeeded in critically damaging Mulayam Singh by some clever verbal footwork. However, after May 13, these gentlemen might rue the day they decided that Ms Maino and her children were easy meat, that the election could be won by continuously, relentlessly and (occasionally) crudely hammering the foreign-origin issue. By mocking Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul, by resurrecting Rajiv's unproven corruption, by linking the family to Indira Gandhi's "tyrannical rule", they may have played a hugely wrong card. Take Indira Gandhi. Love her or loathe her, but after the great Mahatma, she remains India's most popular and respected leader. There is no mystery why crowds go berserk when they see Priyanka: she reminds them of someone they lovingly remember.

I am not making a case for dynastic succession, but a party as energetic and imaginative as the BJP must discover ways to fight the Congress, which don't include denouncing the Nehru-Gandhi family. If they persist, they only harm themselves.