.. The Congress(I) (has) suffered desertions in a number of States ... Most of them are from the forward castes. It is no surprise that a large number of them have joined the BJP emphasising its particular social character; but a similar movement is not taking place among the OBC's, and the Scheduled Castes ...

Worse is the case of the OBCs. Not only were the aspirations of a broad-based social justice ignored by the successive leaders of the OBCs, power ... introduced several negative tendencies among them. The most important were divisions on the basis of communities and sub-communities, and personal jealousies. These tendencies afflicted the forward castes too for long, but now when they are faced with the strong consolidation and assertion of the downtrodden they are trying to close ranks.

The fact that these castes are still holding the levers of power in the bureaucracy, the professions and in business and industry makes it obligatory for them to fight for retaining the status quo which the status quoits parties like the Congress and the BJP popularise in the name of stability. This ... misleads the middle classes among the non-forward caste groups also.

However, the consciousness that if politics continues to be in the driving seat, then the numerical strength of the OBCs, the SCs, STs and the religious minorities could pose threats to their privileges makes them resort to several devices. Liberalisation and privatisation of the economy are among them ...

Unfortunately, in the alternative constituency, which goes by the name of social justice and secularism, there is no such serious, considered and long-term thinking on either these issues or the political strategies. There is a reverse process.

Divisions are giving the BJP a clear field to rule and reestablish the hold of the forward castes. The BJP wishes, however, to be quite sure that it grabs this opportunity. Hence, it has introduced an admirable flexibility in its tactical line. Not only has it adopted total permissiveness in its political alignments making common cause with all and sundry, it is busy jettisoning its social image that the religious minorities have always shunned ..

These changes in the policies of the BJP will remain cosmetic unless its basic philosophy as dictated by the RSS does not change. While the top leadership is confined to the forward castes, more so the Brahmins, the umbilical cord with the RSS, which has other offspring such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the Rashtriya Sevika Samiti, apart from a network of Saraswati Shishu Mandirs and Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Dharma Samsads is still quite strong. The Chaturvarna and Manuvad are still the accepted ethos of the Sangh Parivar. The hold of the industrialists and traders as also the princes is no less strong. Under the circumstances, it is difficult for the party to broadbase its electoral constituency substantially ... The party's real effort is to create a wave in its favour in order to win the psychological war so that the floating voter will turn to it ...