With important leaders raising questions over the way the party was going about in the aftermath of the Lok Sabha debacle, the Bharatiya Janata Party will have a two-day meeting of its national executive in New Delhi from Saturday, which is expected to witness fierce debate on the causes of the defeat and discuss ways for its revival.
The party is divided with charges and counter-charges by rival factions bringing into question the leadership of L K Advani, who was the party's prime ministerial candidate, as also party chief Rajnath Singh.
Advani's anointing of Arun Jaitley as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Sushma Swaraj as Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was questioned by senior party leaders like Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh and Arun Shourie, who have demanded a link between performance and rewards.
Party president Rajnath Singh had to crack the whip and issue a gag order when several leaders went public with their views and discussed the causes of the poll debacle through the media.
The causes of the poll debacle will figure prominently in the national executive though Rajnath has stated that a full-fledged "chintan baithak (brainstorming session)" on the issue will be held in August.
The BJP party top brass is reportedly concerned about mudslinging and counter-charges which may fly thick and fast during the conclave. Rajnath himself is expected to send out a strong message in his inaugural address to the party cadre to fall in line after the recent controversies over leaders discussing internal matters with the press.
Leaders from the Advani camp are likely to press for collective responsibility for the poll debacle instead of pinning the blame on any one leader. Jaitley, who was the chief election strategist, has been targeted by some BJP leaders who feel he has been rewarded with Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha post instead of being held responsible for the loss.
The meet is expected to pass an all-encompassing political resolution which will cover the party's stand on playing the role of a constructive opposition, taking collective responsibility for the poll debacle, the state of the economy, India's foreign policy towards Pakistan, US, Australia and other countries, among other issues.
BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad will move the political resolution in the absence of Arun Jaitley, who is vacationing in Europe. Sinha, who recently raised a storm with his four-page resignation letter where he gave reasons for stepping down as party vice-president and from all party posts, will also not be present as he is no longer part of the national executive.
The specific causes for BJP's poor performance in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh will also be discussed. The BJP was reduced from 138 Lok Sabha seats in 2004 to 116 in 2009. The conclave will discuss the reasons behind BJP's losses in some of the states where it was confident of winning. Strategy for the coming assembly elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh is also likely to figure in the meet.
Sources said adverse impact of Varun Gandhi's hate-speech in Pilibhit and projecting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the BJP's next prime ministerial candidate will also figure in the debate. They said the tussle for power between the top leaders and the upcoming second-rung ones, especially those in their 50s or below, may also be visible at the meet.
As the party is set to remain away from power for next five years, which makes it a decade since BJP was in power last, enrolling new members will be a challenge besides keeping the flock together, party sources say. Moreover, this being a year for organisational elections for BJP, the party will discuss the issue in detail. The meet, spread over six sessions, would begin with the address of party chief Rajnath Singh and conclude with an address by Parliamentary Party president L K Advani.
