2/9/2016

TheBJPHasNothingToGainByRunningAwayFromItsCorePositionAsAHinduParty|Swarajya

The BJP Has Nothing To Gain

By Running Away From Its
Core Position As A Hindu
Party
The BJP should look at its current Hindu positioning as a strength rather than a
weakness. It will not be credible if it tries to pretend to be a secular party.
If the BJP now finds that it has disappointed its own supporters more than its mortal
enemies, it is because the party has forgotten the most fundamental rule of success:
you must play to your strengths, not your weaknesses. Trying to pretend to be what it
is not is the surest way to defeat. When perceptions are thereality, you should leverage
public perceptions to your advantage, not run away from it.
If Virender Sehwag became one of our greatest openers, it was not because he
hadtext-booktechnique. He made it because he played to his strengths, and did not try
to be another Sunil Gavaskar or Gundappa Vishwanath. He played like Sehwag and that
is why he achieved true greatness. Of course, he had a weakness for playing risky
shots that often got him out too early, but he could not have become great by focusing
on fixing his weaknesses. He played to his strengths.
In their path-breaking bookFirst, Break All The Rules, management writers Marcus
Buckingham and Curt Coffman showed how great managers got optimum performance
from staff by working to build their strengths and getting around their weaknesses.
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They never tried to fix what was broken in their stars, but they helped them focus on
their innate talents. When it came to weaknesses, they tried to find ways to hide them
or work around them. They could not be fixed. A weakness is as fundamental to a
human being or organisation as is its strength.
This is what the BJP needs to understand. It cannot be what it is not which is a
secular party in the traditional Indian mould. Even if tries to be one, it will be
repositioned quickly enough in the communal slot by its rivals. The BJP is a Hindu
party, and this is the correct starting point for it. It does not have to thump its chest to
claim it is a Hindu party, for that job will be done by its enemies.
The BJP should look at its current Hindu positioning as a strength rather than a
weakness. Its challenge is to prove that its basic pro-Hindu nature does not make it
inimical to the interests of the minorities. It will not be credible if it tries to pretend to
be a secular party and thrusts a few Muslim faces before the public to prove this. No
one is fooled by this tokenism.
If party chief Amit Shah were to make a statement about what the party is all about (or,
more pertinently, what it should be about), this is the kind of statement he should
make.
Yes, the BJP is seen as a Hindu party, and we accept this definition. An important
focus for us is to protect Hindu interests without in any way compromising or reducing
the interests or rights of other communities.

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Getty Images
This definition does not make us sectarian, just as being an Indian Union Muslim
League or a Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen does not make them so. Our definition flows
from the simple fact that India is nearly 80 percent Hindu, and if you cannot protect the
interests of 80 percent, you cant protect the remaining 20 percent either. We should
not forget that India is the only home of Hindus in a world where there are several
countries for Christians, Muslims or even Buddhists. Hindus have nowhere to go if they
cannot protect their interests even in India. The world would be a poorer place if
Hindus feel marginalised even in India. The experience after 1947 shows that India is
the final refuge for Hindus persecuted in our neighbourhood. So we cannot be
apologetic about defending Hindu interests in India.
This does not mean that the BJP will whittle down the rights and interests of our
minorities, but we do admit that at this pointoftime, we do not adequately represent
their interests. The BJP is open to progressive individuals from the minority
communities joining it, and, will work constructively with existing Muslim and other
minority parties to give them a sense of security and help then advance economically.
Our slogan of sabkasaath,sabkavikas means we will help the poor effectively
without looking at the religion they follow.
The BJP is also committed toensurejustice to the victims of caste discrimination and
gender biases. Being a Hindu party means working for all people we consider Hindus
and this means Dalits too. In fact, this is a priority for us from now on. We believe that
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we cannot even be a Hindu party by perpetuating internal oppression.

This should be the BJPs broad positioning and will ensure its growth over the long
term. The BJP cannot escape perceptions that it is a Hindu party. No Hindu will refuse
to vote for the BJP because it is accused of being Hindu just as no Dalit will see
Mayawatis Dalit origins as a reason not to vote for her.
Accepting the Hindu position also allows the BJP to work for their interests without
feeling guilty about it, even while offering to work out deals with the minorities. Even
for the minorities, a BJP that claims to represent Hindu interests will be credible, for
anything done for the minorities will be seen as being backed by the majority and
hence more sustainable. A deal done for Muslims by a secular party will always be
vulnerable to attack from the majority community.
There will be another bonus for the BJP owning up to its Hindu positioning: when it is
in denial, it is the fringe that gets to be the voice of the Hindu. Does the BJP want the
SakshiMaharajsand assorted Sadhvis, who tend to alienatemainstreamHindus, to
become the de facto voice of the majority community? The fringe will become the core
if the BJP abandons its raison detre.
The short point: the BJP has nothing to gain by running away from its core Hindu
positioning.

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