New Delhi:
Unlike the government, the BJP can't seem to make up its mind on whether to bid farewell to Atal Bihari Vajpayee or not. They were going to give LK Advani his post but backed out at the last minute.
Introducing the Gen Next was easy for the BJP, but it faces a tricky situation over its gen last. On Friday, Sushma Swaraj took charge as Leader of the Opposition in Lok sabha.
Advani vacated the post last month - to take over as Chairman of BJP's parliamentary party - a post that has no official status in Parliament. A way out was to elevate Advani as NDA Chairman, a post held by Vajpayee.
But 5 years after his retirement, the Vajpayee factor has forced the BJP to shelve the proposal, at least for now.
"During Jharkhand polls some BJP leaders raised the issue. But there has been no discussion on replacing Vajpayee," said Sharad Yadav, Co-Convenor, NDA.
While a section in the BJP backed Advani for NDA chairman, a larger section rejected the idea. The argument was that in the 2007 UP elections, upper caste voters drifted away from the BJP as Vajpayee wasn't there and ignoring Vajpayee in the last general elections contributed to the BJP's defeat.
Vajpayee is still hugely popular, the mascot of NDA's good governance claim. That's why despite Advani's seniority his party is wary when and how to make the politically sensitive switch.
Prakash Javadekar, Spokesman, BJP said, "Atal Bihari Vajpayee remains the chairman and there has been no discussion on the issue."
After prolonged infighting, the BJP implemented a generational change but this is not really a case of infighting but political dilemma. The BJP now has to carry out a delicate balancing act between its past and future.