A day after he flagged the need for hard introspection at an internal meeting, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh on Thursday said that the party would have to recognise the imperative to adapt to the present political reality if it wants to stay relevant.
?The challenge is existential,? Singh told FE even as he maintained that his intention was not to target any individual in the party. ?I did what I did as my duty. Not in collusion or consultation with anybody. I raised the issue because all of us have to search for our own light,? he said about his intervention in the BJP meeting on Wednesday.
Saying that there was no linkage between inam (reward) and parinaam (results), the senior leader had questioned the logic of the recent appointments made in the party.
Singh said that his principal aim was to ensure a better BJP. ?My central responsibility is institutional. I am saddened that this debate is now being reduced to individuals?.
Singh, who is among the few senior party leaders to have stayed aloof of the RSS, contended that his responsibility as a senior member of the party went beyond intra-party politics. ?My concern is also about the health of democratic principles? he said.
?And in this regard, I must say that it was Advani who established the two-party system in the country. This is his singular contribution to Indian politics which cannot be denied. If the BJP declines, there is a real danger that bipolarity of the polity will collapse,? he said.
Singh, who won from Darjeeling, said that the BJP?s setback in the 2009 elections was notable because expectations of the party were high. ?The 2004 poll was another setback because everyone thought we were winning?.
The senior BJP leader reiterated that the need of the hour was to reshape the BJP to present day requirements. ?The party has to respond to the call of India. It has to be a contemporary party. It cannot be a party of yesterday,? he said, while pointing out that the rank and file had now tasted the fruit of office. ?The degree of resilience without office has declined. We must recognise this? he said.
Revealing that he received calls from party leaders who supported his views, the former union minister refused to criticise others who oppose his stand. ?I cannot wish away the quality of politics in the country today?.
The BJP is scheduled to have its national executive meet on June 20 and 21, where a detailed post-mortem of the party?s Lok Sabha debacle is expected. However, many of the internal differences on the party?s future direction are expected to be taken up at a meeting of the party?s core group on June 19.
