A Question of Answers: BJP in danger of becoming Congress replica - Shastri

Sunil Shastri, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesman, has often been dismissed as a leader of no consequence.

Partly because he is the son of one of India's stalwarts, Lal Bahadur Shastri, the man who succeeded Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister of India, and made a mark with his quiet courage in dealing with the turmoil facing the country in the mid-1960s; and partly because despite being valued for his experience, he is not a major player in the party.

Shastri felt compelled to leave the Congress after the shabby treatment he received when the late Sitaram Kesri was the president of the party, and he has not looked back since.

In his own way, Shastri articulates the values of clean politics for which his father stood. That is why, his perception of the BJP position is different from that of his colleagues.

In an interview with Gulf News at his modest 66, North Avenue home in New Delhi, Shastri talked about the BJP's position on the war in Iraq and the political churning in India.

Excerpts from the interview:

The national executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at Indore earlier this month had taken a much stronger stance over the US-led war in Iraq than the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Does it mean there are differences in perception between the party and the government?
The party's stance is in accordance with the mood of the Indian people. The party did endorse the government's stand. The government was also of the view that there should have been no war in Iraq. Being a political party, and a national party, the BJP's resolution on Iraq reflected the people of India's mood. The Indian people were opposed to the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

But is there a certain rift between the ruling party and the government?
Not at all. There is no rift between the two. The party has been advising the government on various issues. For example, the party had set up a panel to study the Kelkar committee report on tax reforms.

What do you make of the recent developments in Uttar Pradesh, with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and Chief Minister Mayawati going all out against Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav?
The situation in UP should be an eye-opener to all those political parties which go into, and which believe in, personal, political vendetta. When you go for personal attacks, it is easy to cross the "Lakshman rekha" and even cross all other limits. What is happening in UP is a battle between Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav. Mulayam Singh has also made allegations against Mayawati.

As the BJP is a partner in the coalition government led by Mayawati, is it a cause of embarrassment for the BJP?
There is no embarrassent. The BJP's alliance with the BSP is about providing governance. The BJP has nothing to do with personal politics.

Is it part of the BJP's strategy to put up with the BSP pinpricks so as to benefit from the BSP vote in the Lok Sabha elections due towards the end of 2004?
When the BJP agreed to align with the BSP in UP, the basic strategy was to provide a government to the people. And that strategy has not changed. There are, of course, bound to be differences. But running a coalition government is an art. The BJP has been successful in running a coalition government at the Centre under the leadership of Atal Behari Vajpayee.

What does the arrest of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia mean to the BJP?
Togadia is a responsible leader of the VHP, which is a big organisation in its own right. As far as the BJP goes, it is a political party, and the biggest one in the country. The BJP has to keep the mood of the Indian people in totality, while the VHP has in mind the mood of a certain section of society.

Do the actions of the VHP reflect either positively or negatively on the BJP?
When it comes to any action on the part of the VHP, it does reflect to a certain extent, I would say, on the BJP too. We adopt a position keeping the political factor before us. Association with the VHP was useful for the party in Gujarat, but it was not useful in Himachal Pradesh.

Is it true that the party is thinking of going in for the parliamentary polls earlier than the scheduled dates?
As far as the Lok Saha polls are concerned, there is a feeling among the party workers that if the party performs well in the four state assembly elections later this year, then the LS polls should be brought forward. But this is not an issue before the party leaders at the moment.

Do you have second thoughts about leaving the Congress, where your father was a leader, and of having joined the BJP?
My decision to join the BJP will have never hurt the feelings of my father if he were alive today. I would like to add that the great ideals of the Congress leaders, which were visible to the Indian people till the 1970s, are nowhere to be seen now. Now, at this point, the BJP has to go all out to keep its image of a party with a difference. If it fails to do so, it will be a replica of the Congress of today.