> wrote that many Indians > looked at what's happening in Pakistan > with the Taliban and got put > off by hard core Hindutva
True, the taalib and the RSS-VHP-BJP do have a lot in common. > please don't ask me to define it :-) Also, > the shrill campaign against Manmohan Singh > recoiled against them. It was in bad taste, below the belt. Their dirty tricks department outdid themselves. Advani's megalomania - projecting himself as the - about to become PM was quite repulsive. It was as if the result was a foregone conclusion and the elections were a mere formality. (Almost like advani saying -why dont they just let me take the oath of office?) > of mine). Apparently, the journalist was so miffed with the Shri Ram > Sene incident that she wanted to hit out at the BJP any which way > possible. Very true. The outrage was quite enormous. It directly contributed to the BJP's loss of vote share. They won in Pilibhit and Mangalore but the overall effect the Muthalik and Varun combine had on the all india fortunes of the BJP, was telling. Anyway what is in store for them in the future? That is the question. Will rehashing of their known policies help them in any way or does the BJP has worse to come? Once they drop the ram mandir thing, on one side they lose the hindu votes. Will they be on par with many other parties? Lukhman.
