Is He Pseudo-Communal?

Atal Behari Vajpayee's inflexible stance on Gujarat is being seen within the Sangh parivar as deft political manoeuvring aimed at forging an alliance of NDA, UPA and third front constituents to replace the incumbent government. Says the VHP's Pravin Togadia: "All his recent moves point in this direction." The RSS too shares this view. Their interpretation is quite simple: Vajpayee's move is seen as an attempt to woo Muslims; and his Gujarat statement is meant to attract the "secular" parties. Says RSS spokesman Ram Madhav: "Our objection is with the analysis that the Gujarat violence was responsible for the poor show in the elections."

Of course, if this involves a break with what the RSS describes as its core ideology, Vajpayee, going by his recent statements, seems rather keen on it. In the last few years, Vajpayee's stated positions have rankled the Sangh parivar on a series of issues. Witness the RSS's open criticism of his "appeasement" of Muslims, of his critical statements on Gujarat, of his "inability" to build a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya and the differences in approach to liberalisation. In June 2003, RSS chief K. Sudharshan accused Vajpayee of "lack of clarity of vision" when dealing with Pakistan.

But nothing can be quite serious as this latest salvo. His insistence on raising the Gujarat issue is likely to embarrass not just the hardliners, but also the young turks in the party. Leaders like Arun Jaitley and Pramod Mahajan, who were openly defending Modi, are likely to be put in an awkward situation. But in his current mood, Vajpayee appears past caring.