Rajnath Takes Responsibility for Defeat, Says Hindutva Party’s Ideology
Rejecting party’s dribbling as nationwide, BJP president Rajnath Singh has accepted “full responsibility” for the saffron party’s debacle at the hustings. Besides, party has refused to accept the defeat as a verdict against BJP’s concept of Hindutva.
Singh told the party’s national executive in New Delhi results for the party varied in states, so a single individual accountable for the debacle.
“We can’t hold one person accountable for failure and the review of the defeat is an ongoing process. The BJP believes in collective success and collective failure,” Singh said. “I am taking responsibility”.
“The people’s verdict in the election was not according to our expectations but I take blame for the poor results. But it is not right to say that is a nationwide defeat,” Singh said.
Responding to a query whether the party would stick to its Hindutva ideology, Joshi said that the BJP would not compromise with ideology.
“As far as the party is concerned, there will be no compromise with ideology… only how to express it so that it is acceptable to all (will be deliberated),” the senior leader said.
Singh insisted the BJP had raised relevant issues during election campaign. “We do not regret the issues we have raised. These issues whether communal reservation, communal budgeting or soft approach to terrorism were all in national interest,” he said.
“The election was not a verdict on BJP’s concept of Hindutva, which is liberal and tolerant,” said party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday at a press conference on the party’s two-day national executive.
The party’s national executive meet commenced at Parliament Annexe and is scheduled to assess its poor electoral performance and to strategise ways to revive party cadre morale.
The meet is “trying to analyse the reasons” for the Lok Sabha defeat, said senior BJP leader and former union minister Murli Manohar Joshi.
“It has not reached a final conclusion. The reasons will be placed before a committee and we will get to know about it,” Joshi told a television channel ahead of the meeting.
Responding to a query whether the party would stick to its Hindutva ideology, Joshi said that the BJP would not compromise with ideology.
“As far as the party is concerned, there will be no compromise with ideology… only how to express it so that it is acceptable to all (will be deliberated),” the senior leader said.
Since the results of Lok Sabha elections in which it got 116 seats, down from the 138 in 2004, is gripped with internal strife.
Senior party leader Arun Shourie on Friday joined the growing list of those voicing discontent with the party’s functioning. Shourie reportedly wrote to Rajnath Singh demanding a debate on the poor election results and the way the party is being run.
It may be mentioned that senior party leaders Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha have written letters, which were mysteriously leaked to the media, have objected to Arun Jaitley being appointed as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya.
Jaitley has resigned as general secretary in keeping with the one-man one-post principle, but Sinha and Singh want blame fixed for the election results and also pressed for re-constitution of the party.
