State BJP unit : Scripting a downfall : Sour taste of success
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: June 18 , 2014 -

Not yet. The bubble is yet to burst, but it is becoming more and more apparent that the very members of the State unit of the BJP are on the verge of scripting their own downfall.

A complete U turn from the initial euphoria after the BJP swept the Lok Sabha election and many lined up to join the State unit of the BJP.

No doubt the two BJP candidates lost in the Lok Sabha election here and it does not have a single MLA in the House of 60, but such was the NaMo wave that suddenly the State unit of the BJP was catapulted into the political centre stage and emerged as the one party that could keep a tab on the Congress party.

As things stand today there is a sharp polarisation within the State BJP, with one group baying for the head of Th Chaoba and lobbying with the Central leadership to remove him from the post of president.

The anti-Chaoba group has even gone to the extent of submitting a petition before the Manipur High Court to annul the appointment orders issued by Th Chaoba to the State Election Committee of the party and some office bearers.

On the other hand, Th Chaoba and his loyalists too have not been sleep walking and are now presently camping at Delhi to neutralise the move of the anti-Chaoba lobby.

Internal differences in a political party is not unique to the State unit of the BJP but the manner in which the initial euphoria has so suddenly evaporated and given way to open dissent is something not often seen.

It is not the case of The Sangai Express to sit in judgement and question whether Mr Th Chaoba is a divisive personality, unable to keep the flocks together but it should be clear that not many within the State BJP are happy with his style of functioning.

With the Congress down in the dumps at the Centre and elsewhere, this is the right time for the State BJP to capitalise on the opportunity and emerge as the principal political party which can take the battle to the court yard of the Congress, come 2017 when election to the 11th State Assembly will be held.

With the Trinamool Congress bogged down by infighting, the State BJP should have seized the opportunity with both hands and spread its wings to all the nooks and corner of the State and strengthen itself from the grass root level.

The opportunity is not yet lost, but if the impasse continues then it will only work to the advantage of the others, particularly the Congress.

A party ridden with internal differences will not be in a position to inspire confidence and certainly the manner in which the State BJP has been handling its internal ‘crises’ does not augur well for the party at all.

By extension it also does not augur well for the land and the people too.

For the State to move ahead, there is always the need for checks and balances and the monopoly of a single political party, the Congress in this case, certainly goes against the principle and belief of a strong Opposition. At the moment, it can be said that there is virtually no Opposition, with the Congress having 47 MLAs in the House of 60.

This may ensure stability but the flip side tells a different story, a tale of a single political party monopolising everything, with no other political parties being in the position to oppose or point out the loopholes in the policies and programmes of the Congress Government.

With the BJP whitewashing the Congress in the recent Lok Sabha election, there was a glimmer of hope that it would have a ripple effect here too.

Whether the State BJP is able to ride the NaMo wave in the upcoming 2017 Assembly election or not lies in the realm of speculation but definitely a strong BJP would be able to break the monopoly of the Congress in State politics.

However it still has to fight and neutralise the devil within itself.

How things unfold in the coming days, particularly after a new president of the BJP is elected or appointed at Delhi, will be a decisive pointer in which direction the State BJP is headed towards.