The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections being conducted in India later this month, The 80 page document represents not only the BJP but also the Indian mainstream Political spectrum conspiracy the country’s upper castes, these castes remained out of power for centuries. It was only in 1947 that these castes got in their hands the state power, These castes and their state have become a major psychological problem for the entire south east Asia, The Indian state, whether in the hands of Congress (I) or the BJP, is ridden, by an insecurity complex, No wonder the BJP’s manifesto says the party will give the highest importance to the security aspect. The party says its government will set up a national security council and will exercise the ‘option to induct nuclear weapons. It is against any curtailment of the expenditure on defense forces. The party will give security forces a free hand in suppressing insurgents, foreign mercenaries and militants, The BJP was the only major national party which had opposed the idea of repealing the TADA. The only other organization that had supported TADA’s retention was the police and the intelligence agencies. From the amount of scare revealed by the BJP, it is evident that the party will not be averse to reenacting TADA or its variant. The party’s emergence into power thus will be a direct challenge to the forces who stand for human Tights and a tolerant government. In the name of fighting militancy, the BJP is all set to repeat the role played by Sardar Patel immediately after

1947 and by Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and P.V. Narasimha Rao after 1980. The manifesto talks of forming a few small states like Uttaranchal, Vananchal, Vidarfha and Chhattisgarh, The party is dead set against retaining article 370 which gives identity of its own. The party promises to set up development councils for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions separately. Until a few years ago, the party was against forming small States. ITs credo was for bigger states. It had triggered riots in Punjab ‘when in 1966 the then Lal Bahadur Shastri government had proposed the formation of a Punjabi speaking state. The party as well as its ideological compatriot, Indira Gandhi, could not prevent the formation of Punjab Suba but were one in providing for “joint links” like a common governor, a common high court and a common capital city for Punjab and Haryana. The party has now staged a volte face and seeks the formation of small states, but the game plan is consistent. The party appears to be evolving a structure that will ensure India’s governance from Delhi rather than from states and their capitals. The aim appears to be too politically weaken the states and strengthen Delhi. Despite a talk of stopping the misuse of article 356 (empowering the Indian central government to dismiss the > State governments), the party seeks effectively to take away the state’s powers over police forces by setting up more and more union territories, development councils and the like. The BJP is totally silent on the Akali Dal (Badal)’s Anandpur Sahib (or Ludhiana?) resolution but this silence implies no acceptance of the demand. Rather the party will come out in its true colors if and when the Akalis turn sincere about their resolutions. ; The party’s approach is further indicated by its promise to bring about a; uniform civil law for all Indian communities. The party’s statement clearly means that Muslims, Sikhs and other Indian nations will have no’ separate or customary civil, personal practices. The party also talks of introducing a uniform national culture, leaving no scope for separate identities for Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians. Every nation will have to follow the minute Hindu prescriptions. No Akali leader has commented on the BJP’s manifesto. One would expect Parkash Singh Badal to interpret the document. He had been pleading for an election arrangement with the BJP until very recently. Can one have any choice from among the Congress (I) and the BP? Clearly no Sikh could afford not to work for the third force in Punjab but Badal stubbornly opposed any idea of a third front. No wonder a Sikh ‘unity was not on Badal’s agenda. That is why an understanding among Sikh groups could not be reached. Among other things, the BJP manifesto clearly exposes Akalis, particularly the Badal group, as a bunch of short sighted, power hungry politicians in whose hands Sikh interests are not safe.

Article extracted from this publication >>  April 10, 1996