Era of liberal Hindutva politics ends
As if to indicate the path of extremism the current Hindutva politics is taking, from that of liberal nationalism, veteran politician and statesman, RSS ideologue former PM Atal Bihari Vajapayee breathed his last on Thursday. It had been more than a decade since Vajpayee moved away from active politics and public life. As a mark of liberal politics he stood for, Vajpayee spent almost his last few years in the ICU. But the most troubling fact is, all the contemporaries that had joined hands with him during his heydays, weren’t facing any better time in the party either.
BJP has put most of its senior members in compulsory ICU. The others have been sent to old age homes within the party. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Jaswant Singh and all others are currently irrelevant in the party. Modi, Amit Shah, Adityanath and the others are setting the order for everything within BJP. With the death of Vajpayee, BJP has proclaimed an era has really come to an end, that of veteran politicians and statesmen.
Vajpayee maintained a certain distance from the RSS even if he coexisted in the same ideology almost. While the country was up in flames hearing the speeches such as Advani and Uma Bharathi, Vajpayee's soft words gave a much needed solace. When the country was faced with a question of finding a political alternative, it did not choose Jan Sangh or BJP. Instead, the country chose Janata Parivar as its third front. BJP used the opportunity when Janata Parivar failed to work constructively to build the nation. Indian people chose Vajpayee-led BJP as an alternative to Congress. This was some kind of a political game that RSS played. On one hand Advani was impressing Indians with his Ram Rath Yatra. Wherever he went, there would be bloodbath. At the same time, RSS knew the secularism and democratic values were still strong in the country.
On one hand, they were trying to drive Hindutva to the grassroots level, while projecting Vajpayee to the front and get the attention of upper class people. Though L K Advani brought more seats for BJP with his indirect involvement in violence, Vajpayee was made the PM candidate since RSS preferred that way. Seculars voted for Vajpayee, and not for BJP; or so they believed. If not for him, even other secular forces wouldn’t have joined hands with the BJP.
The NDA came into being with Vajpayee in the forefront. He was the pretext for power hungry politicians to come together. His name consumed even fiery politicians such as George Fernandes. Some people call Vajpayee as a secular politician. But he never had any difference of opinion with RSS stance and Hindutva politics. He only opposed the ways in which this goal was to be achieved. His path was that of liberalism. And this caused a major rift between Sangh Parivar and Vajpayee.
His poetic talks, his statesman-like attitude and the language of heart that he spoke, he was everybody’s prime minister. He even succeeded as the PM. He spoke very aptly, fitting enough for the occasion. He had mastered that art. He tried to follow ‘Raj Dharma’ as a PM, to the best of his abilities. But most times, it remained a futile attempt. He tried with all his honesty to build bridges between Pakistan and Bangladesh. BJP came to power with Pak and Bangladesh as taking points.
Hence, his Vajpayee's attempts could hardly bear fruits. He succeeded only partially. But the Sangh Parivar continued to reduce everything he tried to do, to mere dust. He had to work both as Sangh Parivar activist and as a PM of the country. The country lost hold over diplomatic relations and external relations with other countries during Vajpayee's time. India identified itself with America after distancing itself from Non Aligned policy. It lost the trust of third world countries.
India battled maximum number of terrorist attacks during his time as PM. This caused him great embarrassment. Kargil loss imposed a war on India and the country suffered a lot because of that. Another black spot was the hijack of Indian Airlines flight. Terrorists attacked the parliament during his tenure as PM. More than anything else, he contradictory stand during the Gujarat massacre. On one hand, he almost defended it and on another, he prodded Modi to follow Raj Dharma. When Advani came forward to resign owing to Gujarat genocide, it is said that Vajpayee stopped him. Today, this decision is causing the country very dear. The nation is paying a heavy price for the mistake Advani committed.
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Rohit identifies Arshdeep, Hardik as key to India's chances in T20 World Cup
New Delhi (PTI): T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma reckons all-rounder Hardik Pandya and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh will hold the key to India's prospects in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
Defending champions India will enter the T20 showpiece as one of the overwhelming favourites due to their massive depth and quality.
Rohit highlighted Arshdeep's effectiveness with the new ball and at the death.
"It is a big positive to have both Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh together because they always attack for wickets. Arshdeep's biggest strength is swinging the new ball and taking early wickets. He mainly bowls with the new ball and at the death. Starting and finishing are the most important phases, and he is strong in both," Rohit told JioHotstar.
"With the new ball, he swings it to get left-handers caught in the slips and targets the pads of right-handers. He has also started taking the ball away from right-handers. These skills are key for a new-ball bowler. He always tries to take wickets, which is why he bowls the first over."
Rohit added, "In the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa, he did a great job. I still remember he dismissed Quinton de Kock when he was set and batting well. In the 19th over, he gave away just two or three runs, which built pressure on the South Africans.
"That is his game, bowling with the new ball and at the death, and he will play a key role for India in the 2026 T20 World Cup."
India won the last edition of the tournament in the Americas under Rohit's captaincy, after which the dashing opener retired from the T20 format internationally.
Rohit also spoke about how Hardik's dual role as a finisher and multi-phase bowler provides crucial balance to the Indian team.
"Whenever Hardik Pandya is in the team, his role is huge. He bats and bowls very consistently. His batting is crucial when the team is stuck. If we have a score of 160 on the board in 15-16 overs and Hardik is batting, then he's the one who can help the team reach 210-220 from there or if we are 50 for 4, he has to build the innings.
"Batting in the middle order at 5, 6, or 7 is very tough. That is why Hardik's role is critical in any format. We know his bowling. He bowls in key phases, with the new ball, in the middle and in the death as well. His role is very important because he gives the team balance, letting us play six bowlers and keep our batting deep."
Rohit said accommodating both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy together in the playing XI is going to be a big challenge for the Indian team management.
"The biggest challenge for captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir will be how to play both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy together. If you want that combination, you can only do it if you play with two seamers, which is a big challenge.
"But honestly, I would be tempted to play both Varun and Kuldeep because they are wicket-takers and batters struggle to read them. I would surely pick them."
The former India skipper added, "Looking at the conditions in India, like in this New Zealand series, there is a lot of dew. In February and March, dew will be heavy across most parts as winter ends.
"Even in Mumbai, which doesn't get cold, there's still dew. I'd say 90-95 percent of grounds in India have dew. That's the challenge. What do the coach and captain think? Are they comfortable with three spinners? Then they can play spin, but there's no fixed rule. It depends on the team leaders' thinking."
Rohit also urged Kuldeep to stop appealing on every ball and to rely on the wicketkeeper's judgment for reviews.
"My one simple advice to Kuldeep is to just bowl quietly and go back to his mark. You can't appeal on every ball. This is basic. I keep saying it, but it still happens often. Even after telling him many times, he appeals at every chance. You have to use your head. Just because it touches the pad, it doesn't mean it's out every time. This isn't gully cricket.
"I get he is enthusiastic, but think of the team first. Each team only gets two DRS reviews. If I was the keeper, I could see where the ball pitched and if it was hitting, I could tell the bowler.
"But from covers or slip, you don't know the angle. You have to listen to what the keeper and bowler say. That's why when there's a review off Kuldeep's bowling, I don't look at him, I look at the keeper to decide."
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in venues across India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
