The real issue is not Advani vs Modi. The moot point is, there's no real intra party democracy in any of the three parties with national ambitions -BJP, Congress and AAP.
The unseemly drama is still unfolding between Advani, the grand old man, and Modi, the new messiah of BJP. In a series of well orchestrated moves Narendra Modi has jockeyed himself into becoming the undisputed strongman of BJP. Nothing succeeds like success. One need not be prescient.
The writing is on the wall. Advani is the past. Modi is both the present and the future, and the coterie expectedly latches on to the new power base.
Earlier, too , by saying that the people of the country would compare the prime minister's Independence day speech with only one other speech - which he made - Modi positioned himself adroitly as the only man of consequence in the race to the PM's job. All this caused a simmering discontent in Advani's camp. And when it came to projecting Modi as its prime ministerial candidate, of course , the BJP did not go about asking its cadres who they preferred as their leader.
Most likely, Modi would have won such an election with ease if one were held. That would have put the matter of rivalry between Advani, who still nurtures ambitions, and Modi, the new aspirant, to rest.
In the cacophony of personality cults, we are missing the woods for the trees.
Take Congress. In the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi's efforts in the last few years to usher in elections at grass roots level in the Youth Congress, his anointment by the party high command as 'party supremo' without an election was comic. Party elections?
Of course, but the crown prince is exempt. And look at last week's charade. The party held a primary election in Bangalore for choosing an MP candidate for the Bangalore Central constituency and Congress leader Narayanswamy was elected much to the chagrin of Prof Rajiv Gowda ,a Congress spokesman, a professor from IIM Bangalore and an ex-Wharton academic, who was one of the keen candidates in the fray. But when it came to choosing someone for Bangalore South, Rahul steam rolled and appointed his man Nandan Nilekani, as there was doubt that he may not have won an election.
And what about the AAP which. with sanctimonious grandstanding, said that the aam aadmis in the party would elect through a transparent process their candidates. Their claims have also turned out to be a farce. Many top rung leaders of the AAP appointed themselves to their choice constituency and announced it preemptively . Many protested when did not get their chosen seats. Eventually they used their clout and proximity to the 'PAC', read 'high command' and secured what they desired.
It is strange that all parties, when in opposition, demand free and fair elections to Parliament or state legislatures, hold Parliament to ransom, call for strikes and bands, and are even ready to go to jail or resort to violence to save democracy. But it is ironic they do not seem to care for intra party democracy and are reluctant to hold elections to choose a party leader who should lead them in elections.
If dissent and debate is stifled within a party and elections are not held but decisions taken behind closed doors by a 'high command ' what sort of democracy could the party be fostering?
It is not too late for our political parties, to learn and emulate from the run-up to the elections to the offices of the president or prime minister in many western democracies, where there's a fierce election first to elect and then nominate a party candidate to contest for the highest office before the general elections.
The sad spectacle in BJP reminds us of the inexorable laws of the jungle. If you study a pride of lions in the Gir forests of Gujarat, you will see that the ageing lion has to make way for the new King of the jungle.
The lessons of the wild, may not have been lost on Modi, the Lion of Gujrath as many party faithful describe him.
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