Even as the Janata Dal seems determined to court political oblivion, the BJP finds itself still in the grip of uncertainty. Clearly, this is a crucial phase for a party that has been so close to power and yet so far. So contradictory are the political signals that when the party's Chief Ministers met in Jaipur in June, they could not arrive at a consensus on even as straightforward an issue as the misuse of Article 356. They settled, instead, for a general recommendation that governors should be appointed only with the consent of the concerned state governments. Swadeshi as an economic agenda has also proved controversial with senior members of the party distancing themselves from it. What has, however, proved most problematic for the BJP thus far has been the issue that has ironically enough brought it to within striking distance of Delhi: hardline Hindutva.During the Virar camp in January, when 33 senior BJP leaders met for a brainstorming session to discuss the party's future trajectory, the general opinion was that the party needed to move away from an overt Hindutva-oriented strategy to end its political isolation. But this is easier said than done. Party President L.K. Advani, who had studiously refrained from referring to Ayodhya and the Ram temple during much of his 15,000 km Swarna Jayanti Rath yatra, found himself speaking the language of yesteryear as he entered Uttar Pradesh and neared Ayodhya last week. The emphasis while he was in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh was on national pride, but in Uttar Pradesh it was inevitably on Hindu pride and the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.But the logic of coalition politics means that the party will have to put contentious issues like Hindutva on the back-burner at least until it comes to power. Similarly, it can no longer shout for an Uniform Civil Code without keeping the sentiments of the Akali Dal in mind. Then again, it will have to keep Mayawati and the BSP happy even as it smoothens Chief Minister-in-waiting Kalyan Singh's ruffled feathers. Advani had to perform some careful balancing acts during his yatra. In the South, he steadfastly espoused English as a link language a position that many in his party must have winced at. In Gujarat, he stated that the BJP is open-minded about accepting members of Shankersinh Vaghela's Maha Gujarat Janata Party back into the fold should they choose to return, even as he was careful not to wound party strongman Keshubhai Patel's feelings. In western Maharashtra, he spoke in glowing terms about the Congress strongman of an earlier era, Yashwantrao Chavan, while taking care not to rub the Shiv Sena the wrong way. This need to speak in different tongues to different interest groups shows a new lack of self-confidence. This is totally uncharacteristic of a party that has always prided itself on its unwavering political stances. In fact, the more the BJP projects itself as a national alternative, the more the contradictions it faces. As Advani does the final lap of his marathon run which is set to end in Delhi on July 15, he must be searching for answers to this conundrum.
