... BJP leaders, who today appear to be at loss over how to deal with being the party of governance rather than a permanent opposition, need to identify and actualise the course corrections required for their party to replace the Congress as the natural beneficiary of the public trust. What served the party well during its ascent may prove less effective now that it has become the largest national party.

The reaction to the destruction of the Babari Masjid on December 6, 1992, is an illustration of how different India is from countries like Bangladesh ... The destruction of a disused mosque generated a national uproar. Six years after the event, the antics of the kar sevaks are still highlighted by the international media ... rather a recognition of the belief in India as a secular state.

Strong Centre

The vandals who lowered the prestige of 970 million people on December 6, 1992, have gone against the very heritage that they claim to project. Another example of such behaviour among the self-proclaimed 'Hindutva' fold was the ransacking of Maqbool Fida Husain's home in Mumbai ... The concept of a unified 'Hindu' society is a relatively recent phenomenon. Logically, all those who believe in moderation and respect for different perspectives that characterise the philosophy of Hinduism should be accepted as being within the fold of 'Indutva' or Indian culture.

Rather than an all-powerfull central government, what will preserve the unity of India is the acceptance of a strong social centre that avoids extremes and works towards a synthesis of different trends ..

Thus, rather than return to a political centralisation that was the economic ruin of India, our major national parties need to focus on social and cultural ecosystems, linking them together across regions and communities. For example, the BJP will never realise its goal of getting a parliamentary majority on its own unless it can attract a significant party (at least 25 per cent) of the Muslim vote.

The Bajrang Dal rhetoric which scares away Muslims will also keep away the moderate Hindus.

A combination of the Advani line of external relations and the Vajpayee thinking in domestic policy would serve the country well. However, elements in the BJP appear to want to reverse the order, putting into play a soft external approach with a more exclusivist domestic approach

... Above all, we must preserve the moderate traditions that have nurtured Indian culture for millennia. These are among the strands that the BJP needs to knit together for its future survival. (Source: The Times of India, 8 May, 1998)