Uma Bharati’s expulsion from the primary membership of BJP for indiscipline and anti-party activities was not unexpected given her deviant posture towards the party high command for sometime now. For the BJP the decision to expel her will send a strong message that indiscipline within the establishment will not be tolerated. It is also a clear warning to those who have occasionally raised the banner of revolt against the party leadership (more so recently) that no one will be allowed to step out of the party line.
This latest episode within the BJP also brings to the forefront the very question of inner-party democracy. No political party in the country has been left untouched by this. Discontentment of varying degree is bound to exist and there ought to be nothing wrong if individuals speak out on matters that are issue based. But sadly, it can be said with some amount of authority that all political parties barring the Left Parties have not lived up to the democratic credentials that it espouses, at least in the running of their party organization.
However, from the view point of the BJP, the decision to expel Bharati will do a world of good for its own image given that for some time now, the party appeared to be a rudderless ship pulling in different direction over both organizational and ideological matters. At least for the moment it shows that there is an authority on top. While, it will come as a big relief that the Sangh Parivar has virtually endorsed the party’s action against its one-time Hindutva icon, this should not however be taken as the final word from the parivar. For it is quite likely that Bharati’s own misgivings about the party’s ideological dilution may, just about find enough would-be supporters within the Sangh brotherhood. It will be interesting to observe the development on this front.
That Bharati appears confident of virtually taking on the current leadership in the BJP cannot be under estimated. There can be no two opinions on the fact that Bharati has mass appeal and the support base she enjoys among the die-hard hindutva brigade both among the BJP party workers and also within the Sangh platform no one should doubt. Even the Congress heavy weight and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh who was single handedly dethroned from power by Bharati not too long ago knows the value of someone like Bharati. It is interesting to note the invitation thrown to Bharati to join the Congress by none other than Digvijay himself on the same day of the BJP’s expulsion order. The BJP will do well to realize that for now, it is not the Arun Jaitleys nor the Pramod Mahajans but someone like Bharati who will be able to win them elections. Her successful campaign in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar are proof of this.
Bharati’s expulsion from the party will not go down without its own consequences. Her exit may only heighten the ideological divide within the BJP as it is obvious that a faction exists within the party from where the deposed Bharati may find enough sympathy to take on the so called second generation BJP leaders who are today almost in control of the party’s command structure. Their only appeal lies as being good PR Managers but sans the mass based support, which at the end could be the only source of sustenance for the BJP to ride to power. Minus Bharati, the BJP may have lost a key player come election time.
