RSS to BJP: Give up Hindutva

Party leaders have almost forgotten the issue: Vaidya

Narrating the history of the then Jana Sangh which later converted into the BJP, Vaidya, in his weekly column in local Marathi daily Tarun Bharat, said the BJP had adopted Gandhian socialism, but could not stop itself from being labelled as a communal party.

After the 1984 general elections drubbing, the BJP again started chanting Hindutva.

The BJP came close to power, but could not sustain its strength. The party leaders had no patience and almost forgot Hindutva and its basic principles, the former RSS spokesperson said.

“The party came to power again (in 1999), but after losing it in 2004, it again turned towards Hindutva. The BJP mentioned Hindutva in its election manifesto in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, but it miserably failed to attract the common voters and citizens in the country,” Vaidya said.

“The BJP has failed to convey the real meaning of Hindutva to the people. Probably, they thought not deemed to climb the pedestal of power with the Hindutva line. Hence, the BJP should now dissociate itself from Hindutva,” he said, but added, “If the BJP gives up its Hindutva line, it will automatically snap its umbilical cord with the Sangh.”

However, he said, it would not have any impact on the RSS.

The BJP would have ample opportunities to get a modern outlook,  Vaidya added.

“If BJP gives up Hindutva, regional parties like the Trinamool Congress, Biju Janata Dal and the Telugu Desam Party will rush to it and internal bickering in the JD(U) will also end,” he said.