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Chennai
and Change If the BJP is serious about good governance, let its actions speak
The politico-cultural framework of Hindutva may have topped the BJP's agenda at one stage. It may still remain an article of faith for the party -- or at least a substantial section of it. Even so, India's immediate concerns are different -- and as the largest party it would be suicidal and, indeed, immoral for the BJP to not respond to them. Party ideologues often justified their involvement with the Ram movement by drawing parallels with, say, the Christian Democrats in Germany. This implied a commitment to conservative values as political theory understands them -- minimal but effective governance, a market-friendly approach, a state that is a guarantor of national sovereignty but no more than a facilitator in the economy and society at large. This broader reshaping of the Indian mind is a natural corollary of the Chennai Declaration. If the BJP can achieve it, its electoral performance will take care of itself. Mummy's Little Boys A cricket team-and mindset-that is happy only at home
In 1985-86, India toured Australia for a three Test series it should have won but eventually drew. It is instructive to recall that Australian cricket was then at its nadir -- led by a great batsman who seemed to do nothing right as captain, comprising a top half of novices and unpenetrative bowlers. The biggest failing, however, was a crisis of confidence. Less than two years later, the Australians were world champions. How did they do it? Coach Bob Simpson cracked the whip, deciding an instinctive approach was no substitute for hard work -- and mental toughness. The Australian cricket administration took a hard look at the deficiencies of the national team -- spin bowling for instance -- and asked its academy to hone these skills. The results are there for all to see. The point is: can Indian cricket tear off its blinkers? |
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It
would be tempting to look at the Chennai Declaration, issued after the
BJP's National Council met recently, as a stratagem to stay in power.
After all, it talks of the imperatives of coalition government taking
precedence over a single party's ideology. In the eyes of particularly
cussed friends and foes alike, this amounts to a betrayal of all that the
BJP has stood for. Yet, when party leaders speak of the evolution
"from an ideological party to an aggregative party" and argue
that the 1999 mandate for the NDA places an "obligation" on the
BJP to make the coalition experiment succeed, there is hope that the
change is genuine. Such a (gradual) transformation would make sense in
terms of both principles and politics. Irrespective of whether the days of
one-party majorities return -- and there is no likelihood of that
happening in the near future -- the BJP is well-placed to succeed the
Congress as an all-India entity and the fulcrum of the polity. The
question is: is it up to the challenge?
Anyone
who bets on Sachin Tendulkar's team not losing the third cricket Test
against Australia must really want to part with his money. The pathetic
performance of the team in the ongoing series is fully representative of
the ills that plague the game in India. Batsmen spoonfed on placid home
pitches develop an inflated opinion of themselves. Cunning spin, once
India's USP, has been killed by selecting Test spinners on the basis of
limited-overs cricket performances. If the selectors chance upon a couple
of good fast bowlers, they use them as a dhobi would his donkey. Sharp
fielding is an alien conspiracy. Planning is unIndian. Hiring a foreign
coach is unpatriotic. A nursery to breed talent is what lesser countries
need. Didn't India produce Tendulkar without any system whatsoever? It
did; it also produced Devang Gandhi and Sadagopan Ramesh -- who, when
encountered by quality bowling, can do little more than perfect the
Charlie Chaplin walk.