After all the sanctimony about ideology that was tossed about when the BJP struck former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh off its rolls ten months ago, it appears the thikanedar from Jodhpur has had the last laugh. Mr Singh, who is thought to zealously guard his sense of honour, has been duly invited back into the party and all concerned are said to be cooing into his ears. Political parties are known to take back those who have been declared renegade. The history of the Congress and the Lohia stream is replete with instances of the return of the prodigal. Not so the communists and the Hindu nationalists, at least not at the top leadership level.
There can be little question that Mr Singh leans toward the Hindutvawadi tendency. In that sense, he is more than just a representative of the Right. However, he has always given the impression of being only a light shade of saffron and was not raised in the hard RSS tradition like most of his colleagues in the BJP leadership. Considering this, he was dispensable and could well have been left out in the cold after being removed for praising Jinnah as a secular politician in a book he wrote. But this would have been uneven treatment, considering that Lal Krishna Advani was rehabilitated after being hung out to dry for exactly the same infraction. The balance is now redressed. Nevertheless, there does still remain a sense of curiousness about the Singh affair. After being expelled at the BJP’s chintan baithak in Shimla last year, the former Union minister did not fail to take a swipe at the RSS. For the BJP, this was cardinal sin. The return of Mr Singh does possibly indicate that yardsticks might be changing imperceptibly in the saffron party, although it is far from clear that others who dare mock the RSS might not get away so lightly.
One might say the balance of circumstances worked for Mr Singh. He is sufficiently moderate and suitably modern, one apt to impress the BJP’s middle class constituency and the Westernised, English-speaking, upper crust. At a time when the party is still in the dumps after the crushing Lok Sabha defeat, a senior figure with these qualifications might be seen as well worth wooing back. It is also in Mr Singh’s favour that he is not a strong faction leader type. Thus, his re-induction is unlikely to ruffle feathers in the Rajasthan unit of the BJP. It might have been a somewhat different story if Vasundhara Raje, with whom Mr Singh had crossed swords, were still chief minister. The tale may also have been different if one of the senior office-bearers of the party had been promoted to BJP president, instead of a rank outsider being appointed to that position. Mr Singh had quite appropriately raised questions about the party not subjecting to scrutiny those who were part of the top leadership team that ran the disastrous election campaign which ended in ignominious defeat last May. None of this team might have easily forgiven the criticism. It is thus fortuitous that Nitin Gadkari, picked from the periphery, is now party chief, and Mr Gadkari can do with gathering as many people who agree to back him at the top.
For this reason, the BJP president might find it expedient to re-induct some of the other high-profile figures who have been out in the cold. Ms Bharti comes to mind. She has also been making the right noises. However, the sanyasin from Khajuraho, for all her iconic status in saffron circles, can be a divisive figure. It is not unlikely that this season Mr Singh may be the lone sparrow to home back on target.