New Delhi: The BJP lost an election. And now the party is in danger of being lost. Yashwant Sinha's attack against what he calls the "conspiracy of silence" blows the BJP's veneer of unity and claims of democratic decision making. While the contents of his resignation exploded on NDTV, Rajnath Singh could do nothing more than issue a desperate gag order.
The irony could not have been greater. As the party president tried to take charge, at that very moment came Yashwant Sinha letter bomb.
Sinha's letter bomb questions the leader, L K Advani:
- "Advani's offer to resign as Opposition Leader was appropriate."
- "Our anxiety to distribute goodies amongst "a few higher mortals."
The letter indirectly challenges the appointment of Arun Jaitley as Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition:
- "Those who managed the campaign have given themselves a clean chit."
- "The BJP is putting a premium on failure."
- "There is a rat race for posts"
Sinha is trying to set the agenda for the BJP's national executive:
- "All officer bearers should resign to set an example."
- "Our reluctance to introspect unacceptable to many in party."
While the BJP top leaders battled political concerns, Yashwant was invoking gods in Hazaribagh, his constituency, saying no to commenting on his letter.
"I have told you earlier also, I wont comment on this issue," he said.
Now Jaswant and Yashwant, two BJP men, both finance and foreign ministers, have raised identical issues. Their agenda: to try and weaken the Advani camp. But catch is that the RSS is unlikely to back them. That is why in the coming days clashes will mount, and the BJP's disarray can only increase.
Leaders like Sinha are raking up the past and eyeing the future. But the war within has ensured that suddenly no one is asking which way does the BJP go after the defeat. But who will control the party.