‘HOW THE BJP’S LEADERSHIP DIFFERS FROM THAT OF THE CONGRESS’

Leadership is an integral and a very important aspect of the character of a political party.
1 Democratic Party VS. Dynastic Party
The first major difference between our two organizations is this: the BJP is a democratic party and the Congress is a dynastic party.
2 Leadership culture in the BJP
Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who in 1951 founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He was an eminent freedom fighter, he was a distinguished educationist, one who became the Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University at the age of 33 – indeed, the youngest ever vice-chancellor in the history of the Prestigious University.
Dr. Mookerjee was minister in the first government established after Independence under Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s premiership.
Dr Mookerjee resigned from Nehru’s Cabinet in protest against the Prime Minister’s unprincipled and uncaring attitude towards the Hindus in East Pakistan. He later became a martyr in Srinagar for the cause of the full integration of Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union.
The second, great leader from BJP a self-made personality Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, who was the chief ideologue, organizer and guide of the Jana Sangh, was born in a very poor family. But he was a giant in intellect and idealism.
The third towering leader of the party one who both led the Jana Sangh and later became the founder president of the BJP in 1980 – is Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
3 Deliberate devaluation of the office of the Prime Minister
P V Narasimha Rao and dr. Manmohan Singh, a conscious and sustained attempt has been made to emphasise that real power resides not at 7 Race Course Road but at 10 Janpath. This has become especially pronounced in the case of Dr Singh.
4 Dr. Singh’s ‘ contract’ not with people, but with one individual
I am sorry to say that Dr. Manmohan Singh’s majboori is worse. Instead of a contract with the people of India, the Prime Minister had a contract with just one individual, who is described by many people as the Super Prime Minister’.
5 Contrasting approaches to coalition management
At one point, we had as many as two-dozen parties in the National Democratic Alliance. The BJP was the largest party in the alliance. Nevertheless, we scrupulously followed the ‘Coalition Dharma’.
Here is a government that is singularly lacking in both cohesion and vision. The UPA is nothing but an opportunistic alliance to keep the BJP out of power by raising the bogey of ‘secularism.’
6 Congress leadership is compromising national security
The Vajpayee government conducted Pokharan I in order to strengthen India’s national security.
In contrast, the government of Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh wants to sign the Indo-US nuclear deal, which, in the name of enhancing our energy security, will actually weaken India’s national security and undermine our strategic autonomy.
L. K. Advani, In India Today Leadership conclave, March 2008