Jan 11, 1999

What the spin doctor could recommend for Vajpayee.

By Swapan Dasgupta

One man's misfortune can easily become another man's opportunity. Last week, as Atal Bihari Vajpayee was agonising over a much-needed facelift for himself and his Government, came the news of Peter Mandelson's resignation from Tony Blair's Cabinet in Britain. If the Prime Minister's Office was sufficiently alert, it should have rushed to the now under-employed Mandelson with the offer of a challenging consultancy: to do for Vajpayee and the BJP what he did for Blair and the Labour Party.

The projects are not dissimilar. New Labour happened after four successive election defeats, and the BJP needs an overhaul after being in government for less than a year but looking increasingly like a defeated party. Mandelson had applied his political engineering to a dispirited party that faced a government which had successfully elevated Thatcherism to common sense. Now another spin doctor needs to apply his skills to prevent the BJP from being devastated by a Congress that boasts it is the natural party of government. No wonder Vajpayee could profit from Mandelson's prescription.

• Be modern. "Old" Labour suffered from a wasting disease. Like the BJP, it conveyed the impression of being stuck in a bygone era. New Labour reinvented the party, discarded dogma, acknowledged the positive contributions of Thatcherism and seized on its greatest point of vulnerability -- lack of compassion. Likewise, the BJP has to discover a new soul by projecting market economics as India's search for the good life. It has to become the party of aspirations and upward mobility.
• Cut out the lobbies. Labour was perceived as a meek hostage to a cussed trade union movement bent on bringing back the bad old days of strikes and disruption. New Labour relegated organised labour to the fringes. The trade unions became just one input into the party. The BJP suffers a similar problem with the rss. It must assert its autonomy and political independence. The Sangh must have a say but mustn't dictate.
• Be ruthless with the fringe. Labour's credibility gap was partially a contribution of its wild, Marxist fringe. New Labour effected a well-publicised, ruthless purge. For the BJP facing the wild ones in the VHP, the message is unambiguous.
• Keep the core happy. New Labour's success lay in making a sharp turn to the centre acceptable to the Left. This was done by relating power to the making of a "compassionate Britain". For the BJP, success lies in blending newness with natural impulses. By combining economic reform with the vision of a strong India blessed with a no-nonsense state.
• Look beyond politics. Blair enhanced his appeal by appropriating Thatcher's concern for ordinary, decent values. He spoke about ethics and religion. These things come naturally to Vajpayee, India's foremost communicator. He must talk beyond politics more often.
• Build your elite. A party looks commanding in office if it is seen to have its own experts, stars and style. Vajpayee is too wary of breaking the mould and developing a saffron counter-establishment.
• Leader is supreme. A parliamentary system has a definite presidential touch. A party may have divergent tendencies but New Labour established that one voice ultimately counts. Vajpayee must listen but he must also be seen to have his way.

The only problem is that it took four years for Mandelson's efforts to bear fruit. Vajpayee has to ensure that time is not against him.

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