Besides his increasing clout within the BJP, Vajpayee has also been consulted by many MPs belonging to the smaller NDA constituents. He's been telling some of the regional parties and leaders from the NDA to get their houses in order. Since many of them intend to cash in on the Vajpayee image, it's hardly surprising that they are discussing their internal party problems with the PM.
But it is on the BJP that Vajpayee is really leaving his imprint. The clever draftsmanship of the 'vision document' was a clear attempt by the BJP to repackage itself as a centrist party that is ready to put contentious issues on the backburner. On the one hand the party did not break with its ideological roots—it pledged commitment to a Ram temple at Ayodhya (through consensus). Yet, there was a departure from the past. For the first time the party did not outright demand the imposition of a uniform civil code. Instead, it pledged support to it "primarily as an instrument to bring about gender justice". The fact that the BJP did not demand the scrapping of Article 370 (granting special status to J&K) is even more significant. Article 370 was not even mentioned in the document though there is a reference to "certain transient and temporary provisions for J&K". This fundamental change can't be delinked from the prime minister's pet project—the peace initiative with Pakistan and the ongoing Centre-Hurriyat talks.
With the cricket series in Pakistan going so well for India, Vajpayee is in a position to impose his line on the BJP. And just in case there were any doubts about whose "vision" was on display, one can't ignore the fact that there are 54 photographs of Vajpayee in the glossy print reproduction of the 'vision document'. There are just two photographs of deputy prime minister L.K. Advani and in both he's standing behind a seated Vajpayee.
In a sense, this poll marks the coming of age of the Vajpayee leadership. "After six years in office he no longer has to be a mere respectable face for the BJP. He's in a position to call the shots," says a source. And ever since the lohpurush-vikaspurush spat in June last year, the BJP quietly dropped the plan of projecting a dual leadership in Vajpayee-Advani. Since then, Vajpayee's position within the party and parivar has gone from strength to strength even as Advani's shadow on the prime ministership has shortened.
In spite of a life-long association with the RSS, Vajpayee has pulled off the remarkable feat of being considered a moderate. Results 2004 will show whether he has managed to pull off the miracle of transforming the public perception of his party. 4
