Astrology, it now transpires, is an unguided missile. The planetary orgy that many at the centre of the BJP's decision-making process believed would herald the downfall of the Manmohan Singh Government by September 26 has, instead, rebounded on the party. Far from Atal Bihari Vajpayee being the beneficiary of a divinely ordained coup, it is the BJP that gives the impression of having scored a plethora of self-goals.
For the purveyors of cosmopolitan condescension, the tantrum and short-lived political sanyas of Uma Bharti was an occasion for unconcealed glee. Forever projected as the great saffron maverick, not least within her own party, Uma, it would appear, has lived up to her wild image, an image she acquired in the heady days of the Ram temple movement. In giving party president M Venkiah Naidu a taste of her legendary temper and following it up with a Himalayan sulk, Uma, or so the conventional wisdom goes, has painted herself into a corner. If the judgment of the editorial classes is anything to go by, Uma is isolated and she has blown her chances of a political comeback.
It is always easy to damn unconventional behaviour and, on her part, Uma seems to revel in it. Yet, there may be another side to the story that many seem to be missing.
The former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, it is apparent to anyone who has followed her career, is not an ordinary politician. A gifted public speaker who combines the traditional and modern idiom, Uma has a remarkable way of connecting with the voters. Her ability to invoke religious imagery without being religious, to use caste without being casteist and to link nationalism with development concerns make her unique, at least in the BJP. From the Ram temple movement to the election campaign in Madhya Pradesh last year, Uma has demonstrated her political versatility.
Fiercely protective of her close associates, a guardianship that has often proved self-defeating, she has a fanatically loyal fan following in the party. Uma can infuriate and exasperate colleagues with her tantrums, but she also has the great ability to inspire party workers. The number of people who swear by 'Didi,' as she is popularly known, is quite impressive.
Her staggering victory in last year's Madhya Pradesh assembly election wasn't only on account of anti-incumbency; it was accompanied by meticulous planning and incredible hard work. In the course of four intensive months of campaigning, she covered all but eight assembly constituencies of the sprawling state. As an indefatigable campaigner who blends ideology with an instinctive understanding of popular concerns, Uma is unquestionably an asset to the BJP. In terms of her ability to garner an incremental vote for her party, particularly among the poor and the backward classes, Uma has few challengers.
Equally important, Uma is loyal to the party. There have been many occasions since 1989 when powerful sections of the BJP have rubbished her and conducted vicious whisper campaigns against her. The personal attacks against her have been truly spiteful. In trying to neutralise her, former Congress chief minister Digvijay Singh left absolutely no stone unturned.
The media also chipped in with gusto, playing the role of the auxiliary army of the Congress party. Together they had a common objective: to portray Uma as a flibbertigibbet and a frivolous politician.
At times Uma has reacted intemperately to this campaign of calumny but she has soldiered on regardless. A weaker person may have abandoned politics and settled down to a lucrative career as a religious preacher but Uma has kept her nerve and even her sense of humour. She has demonstrated that she is a tough leader who can confront adversity.
A leader who can win elections for the party -- remember she has not lost a single election since 1989 -- Uma is entitled to expect some extra accommodation from the apparatchiks of the BJP. She had every right, for example, to demand her chief ministership back after she cleared the legal hurdles set in her path by a vengeful Karnataka administration. After all, the 1994 Hubli Idgah agitation wasn't some private act of adventurism; it was part of a BJP movement and Uma was selected to play a leading role. She resigned without any protest when it suited the party. Yet, she did not question the astonishing and peremptory decision of the party leadership ruling her out of Madhya Pradesh state politics for good, despite her clearing all legal hurdles.
Maybe she was never really interested in the job to begin with. Maybe she is better suited to play itinerant agitator than a chief minister. That's not the issue. The question is: how many people would give up a chief ministership without demur? Also remember that the BJP in Madhya Pradesh was elected under the leadership of Uma. She wasn't a post-election paratrooper; she was the party's avowed chief ministerial candidate. Was she even consulted before this momentous decision was taken?
This is why there is a limit to how much the party can take her for granted. The denial of the party ticket in a by-election to Prahlad Patel, a dynamic leader in his own right and a person Uma favoured, was an act of spite. Was Uma wrong in believing that she had been cynically used and unceremoniously discarded? What are the signals sent to the party rank-and-file?
All the indications pointed to a systematic campaign of ridicule against her. Even as her Tiranga Yatra was underway, senior office bearers of the party delighted the media with assessments of her growing irrelevance and how she was unwanted in Maharashtra. Why does the party view these poison bombs with such remarkable indulgence? Uma's outbursts become news but the provocations behind the explosion are conveniently glossed over.
Before it can take on the Congress, the BJP has to set its own house in order. It can begin by treating a mass leader like Uma with honour and dignity. Their objective should be clear: to facilitate the evolution of Uma as a national leader.
