Why BJP lost : A view from David Frawley, a long standing friend of India.
David FrawleyMy message to BJP is the same as what I would give to any organization: don't bank on nostalgia. India is the youngest nation in the world. To them many voters, BJP like Advani, Shekhawat & Co are museum pieces. Present a youthful and vigorous image. Rajnath Singh said that BJP did poorly because it didn't have Vajpayee. Surely, you need more useful analysis.
---Quite right. Rajnath is another museum piece. I remember speaking at the BJP Central office in Delhi in 1999 and finding that they had 11 Vice Presidents all above the age of 75, several of which could barely walk. I asked them why they didn't put young people in the job to prepare them and make them better known. They said that their policy was to honor the elderly. I told them they needed younger people, they shrugged it off.
Our books have succeeded because we can reach the youth. It is not just the message but how you frame it.
Advani at 81 should not have run and the attempt to repackage him was a failure. He had too much baggage. (Also irrelevant. NSR)
