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Laxman vows to crush indiscipline

Tara Shankar Sahay in Nagpur

Newly-elected Bharatiya Janata Party chief Bangaru Laxman's assertion Sunday that it will ruthlessly crush indiscipline bodes ill for Sushma Swaraj who Saturday lashed out at the government and Union Home Minister L K Advani for the recent massacre of Amarnath yatris.

" Anusashanhinata ko BJP mein kathorta se kuchal diya jayega jissesse ki who apna sar phir se utha na sake " ( indiscipline in the BJP will crushed with a heavy hand so that it does not raise its head again ), Laxman said during his maiden address as president to the national council meeting Sunday.

He pointed out that he had derived inspiration on discipline from the Jana Sangh leading light Deen Dayal Upadhyay. According to Laxman, Upadhyay said he would rather see the disbanding of the Jana Sangh than see it going awry on disciplinary grounds. That is why, he, as the new party chief, would ensure that there was no place for indiscipline in the party, Laxman pointed out.

Significantly, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee did not give a speech but congratulated Laxman on taking over as the new party chief. "Mein bhashan dene nahin aaya hoon, Bangaruji ka abhinandan karne aaya hoon "(I have not come to give a speech but to welcome Laxman), Vajpayee said while sitting on the sofa on the dais. He said he was in a hurry to return to Delhi.

However, complimenting Laxman, the prime minister said that the new party chief should draw a " Laxman rekha " in party affairs.

This was variously interpreted in BJP circles. While one section contended that he merely made a general statement, another section felt that it was a pointed reminder to Laxman that he should tackle indiscipline in the party ruthlessly.

The prime minister praised the new party chief for his tireless social work. He also praised Kushbhau Thakre, who demitted office as the party chief Sunday morning.

Vajpayee then left the dais for a brief while. When he returned, he was seen occasionally rubbing his face and eyes giving visible signs of exhaustion. Later, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan told reporters that Vajpayee was having pain in his knee joints and had been advised rest by the doctors. The prime minister's apparent indisposition thus cancelled his scheduled address to a public rally in Nagpur.

Vajpayee, however, earlier in the day visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters and reportedly had an "extremely cordial" meeting with his guru, 87-year-old Narayanrao Tarte. He also visited B R Ambedkar's Deekshbhoomi (where Ambedkar and his disciples converted to Buddhism) and the Hedgewar Smriti Mandir.

"I cannot say what exactly transpired at Saturday's national executive meeting when Swaraj spoke but if she criticised the government and the Union home minister for the massacre of the Amarnath yatris, it is unjustified and only out of frustration," said senior BJP vice-president Jagdish Prasad Mathur. He pointed out that senior members had been warned by the party leadership that they should not vent their frustrations needlessly.

Another BJP vice-president K Jana Krishnamurthy maintained that even though there was ample scope for inner-party democracy, "indiscipline is something which cannot be condoned or pardoned." He pointed out that the leadership was firm about taking prompt action if charges of indiscipline were proved against any party member "no matter however highly he or she is placed."

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ram Prakash Gupta aired similar views.

"Discipline is vital in such a large party like ours and those violating it better be prepared for the consequences," Gupta felt.

Speaking to rediff.com on the condition of anonymity, a prominent Union minister said that Laxman's warning about drastic disciplinary action against those who violated it had been approved by the BJP leadership just before the Nagpur session commenced.

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