Excerpt from last post: MM says : In fact in the last Lok Sabha elections , the BJP won 14 seats against the Congress 12 . IDr Anand says : These elections were post Godhra and when the Hindutva card was being used to it's maximum . It proves my point that the BJP cannot rely on this agenda alone if they wish to progress politically ( and if an idiot like me can see this , the big bosses in Delhi and Goa will have taken note )
Comment: In the assembly elections held immediately post Godhra, where communalism was at its peak, the BJP won 120+ seats. However, in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections held 2 years later, when "India Shining"(development) was BJP's plank. the BJP lost 12 LS seats to the Congress, which if translated into assembly seats meant that the Congress actually won in around 96 assembly seats (a comforable majority). Which proves that the electorate did not believe that the BJP worked for development. In the latest elections too, almost every opinion poll predicted a neck to neck race with the BJP winning only marginally. But the last minute communal plank played by Modi tilted the scale and made a big difference. The BJP leadership has realised that only playing to the base instincts of the electorate will help it reap rich dividends. Dr Anand wrote: All that is BJP politics is not Hindu bigotry ( and vice versa ) Comment: I entirely agree that the BJP does not represent Hinduism nor speak for Hinduism. Hinduism is a much richer religion which believes in assimilating people of all religions unlike the Hindutva practiced by the BJP which is exclusivist. MM says : The BJP has made progress not on any development card but by exploiting religious emotions. Dr Anand says : Not true . BJP has made progress using both religious and developement cards . The former has been overemphasized , the latter played down ( by the opposing camp ) Comment: Pl refer point 1 above MM says : Even today Modi is a role model for the BJP Dr Anand says : Not for the vast majority of BJP supporters...absolutely not for me ( and I sincerely hope , not for Manohar Parrikar ) Comment: All I can say is that you are not abreast with the latest developments taking place in the BJP and out of sync with their thinking.Pl refer to newspapers and newscasts of the last 3-4 days covering the BJP Central Meeting. MM says : Goa BJP is no different from Gujarat BJP , only they have not had the opportunity to display their prowess. Dr Anand says : Goa BJP had 51 months. That is plenty of time if they were keen enough to " display their prowess ". They did not display it. Comment: The BJP whether in Goa or in Gujarat follow the same ideology which is derived from the RSS. I do not know whether you have read M S Golwalkar's book " We or our nationhood defined" or " Brotherhood in saffron". In it he clearly espouses that Muslims, then Christians, then Communists and then secular minded Indians ( read Hindus) are enemies of the nation and should be annihilated or subjudicated. They should expect no rights nor any privileges. They should live at the mercy of the majority Hindu community. This then is the ideology followed by the BJP everywhere. Wherever the BJP is in power, the minorities are persecuted. Be it Orissa, MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chhatisgarh, and even recently in Karnataka. We have enough trailblazers before us. In Goa we had the infamous VCD, the storming of the Archbishops house, the desecration of Fontainhas, the destruction of Braganza Hotel, the stuffing of RSS persons in the police force, the media, the home ministry, etc. Only those who are blind will not see this. In conclusion, I believe you are a well meaning person. But you need to see the view from the other side to understand its gravity. As the saying goes ' the taste of the pudding is in the eating' . Only when you are able to taste the BJP, then only you will understand the feeling. Mog asundi, Marshall Mendonza
