Litmus test for the State unit BJP : Gearing up for May 30 and 2017
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: April 01 2015 -

At times the devil within can be more dangerous than the one outside. An observation which the State unit of the BJP cannot afford to overlook.

The BJP is riding a wave at the moment. This is at the all India level under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah.

Doubtful if the same can be said about Manipur.

No doubt, the State unit of the BJP has been making all the noises and hitting where it hurts at the State Government, but it is still doubtful whether it has earned the trust and confidence of the people.

An example perhaps underlined by the result of the by election to Hiyanglam Assembly Constituency in the latter part of 2014.

That the BJP has no grass root workers in Manipur is a well known fact. It is more or less the same case with the leadership of the party here.

Almost all the top leadership in Manipur have a past, a past that tells the story of party hopping with some earning the dubious distinction of not being clean at all.

The BJP may be a cadre based party in other parts of the country but there is nothing to suggest that this is the case here.

Something far removed from the communist parties such as the CPI and CPI (M), just to name two.

With the State Election Department announcing the date for election to the Autonomous District Councils on May 30, it is not surprising to see the BJP going for the jugular and flexing its muscles.

Time can only tell but there still exist a big question on whether the State unit of the BJP will be able to instil confidence and trust in the people.

It will not be surprising if the same story is repeated in the 2017 Assembly election. And obviously the first task for the State unit BJP is to clean itself internally.

It is the State unit which has to capitalise on the confidence and trust generated by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

Early days yet, but the onus on the State unit of the BJP cannot be lost on anyone. Internal cleansing is the need of the hour.

By now it should be clear to the top leadership of the party that the image of the party can only be as good as the image of the leaders of the State unit party.

No barometer to judge the credibility of the State unit BJP leaders, but how many of them can truly carry the hopes and aspirations of the people ?

This is a question which the BJP should start asking itself now, if it is to commendably perform in the 2017 Assembly election.

The ADC election may not have much to do with the Assembly election but it could be a strong indication of where the party stands, especially in the hill districts.

Perhaps this is why the BJP seems to be putting on its best foot forward in preparation for May 30.

Whichever way the wind blows, it is important for the State BJP to come to the point that its top priority should be to cleanse itself internally before it goes to the public asking for their vote.

Trust and confidence is what matters ultimately. The litmus test for the State BJP may just be starting now. Remains to be seen if the party is ready for the test or not.