New Delhi:
The BJP's poor performance in the recent elections in Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh and Haryana has led to predictable arguing over who's responsible for the defeat.
Now, the BJP's parent body, the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), has offered its diagnosis. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has suggested that the party " decide it's own cure - whether it should go in for surgery, or chemotherapy." Bhagwat had earlier suggested that younger leaders be given more prominent roles in the party.
The BJP says as always, it looks to the RSS for guidance. "Only the doctor can tell us what will work...we are the patients," quipped BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi.
The BJP this year has seen unprecedented infighting over when LK Advani should step down as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. Party president Rajnath Singh has initiated several controversial gestures including the expulsion of former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, who served the party for 30 years. He was sacked for writing a book that praised Mohammed Ali Jinnah and criticized Sadar Patel. The crisis over that incident was followed immediately by Vasundhara Raj defying the BJP's orders to resign as Leader of the Opposition in Rajasthan. After months of negotiation, she finally stepped down from her post over the weekend.