Ahead of the leadership change in Bharatiya Janata Party, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Sunday counselled the saffron party against making "pursuit of power" its only goal leading to the "recent sparrings" in various state units and asked it to improve its overall image and not to ignore its core constituency.
"A party like the BJP cannot exist only for power. When pursuit of power becomes the only goal, clash of personalities ensues. The recent sparrings in the BJP in state after state have nothing to do with ideology," said an editorial in the latest issue of RSS mouthpiece 'Organiser' in what appeared to be a veiled reference to the Uma Bharti episode.
Without referring to the Jinnah controversy, it reminded the party that ideological commitment of the leadership is what inspired the cadre to serve, sacrifice and combat. "Effective leadership has to balance between its core constituency and the other constituency.
It is suicidal to believe that the committed constituency is a captive one and go about wooing the other. It is crucial to improve the overall image of the party. Alongside the brouhaha of the birthday bash, the BJP will do well by reiterating a clearer vision of its political understanding," it said.
The BJP, the organ said, was credited as a party with a difference because of the belief that it was committed to socio-political transformation, "A collective leadership accountable to the cadre and a level of reticence in public conduct". It, however, heaped lavish praise on the performnace of BJP-ruled governments in various states.
