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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000109 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL PINR KDEM IN
SUBJECT: BJP VETERAN ATTACKS CENTER, INFIGHTING CONTINUES 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  Former Vice President Bhairon Singh 
Shekhawat's criticism of his own Bharatiya Janata Party's 
(BJP) prime ministerial hopeful L.K. Advani garnered 
widespread media attention last week.  While the 86-year-old 
party stalwart's cranky outburst is unlikely to cause any 
lasting damage to the party, it does remind the electorate 
that the BJP suffers from the same factionalism and petty 
internal rivalries that rack Indian political parties and 
helps puncture the myth of a united, disciplined, 
center-driven party.  It also distracts the party from 
refining its strategy and honing its message in preparation 
for the national elections in April-May of this year.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
Shekhawat Makes a Splash 
--- 
 
¶2.  (U)  Former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat 
announced that he would contest Lok Sabha elections from 
Rajasthan during a January 7 media event, signaling the 
86-year-old BJP veteran's return to national politics. 
Shekhawat, who entered politics in 1951, was a three-time 
Chief Minister from Rajasthan and served as Vice President 
from 2002 to 2004, said that he could lead the state BJP in a 
better direction after five years of "corruption and 
infighting" under former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. 
According to contacts, Shekhawat nurses grudges against Raje, 
who tended to ignore and sideline him when she led the state 
government until her party's disappointing assembly election 
loss last December.  He particularly resented the central BJP 
leadership's decision to appoint Raje as leader of state 
opposition despite her responsibility for the party's defeat 
and has "seized the opportunity" to cause maximum damage to 
the BJP. The BJP leadership has little option but to weather 
the controversy and to appear unfazed by Shekhawat's attacks. 
 BJP President Rajnath Singh on January 10 praised Shekhawat 
as a "respected senior" and denied reports of party 
infighting. 
 
Shekhawat vs. Advani 
--- 
 
¶3.  (U)  Speaking one day after throwing his hat into the 
ring for Lok Sabha elections, Shekhawat openly criticized 
BJP prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani during a press 
conference.  Shekhawat, who was known to have nurtured 
relationships that cut across party lines, questioned 
Advani's ability to mobilize widespread support from National 
Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners. 
 
¶4.  (U)  Shekhawat's attack on the BJP leadership was seen by 
many as a continuation of the contentious "leadership debate" 
within the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, in which RSS leaders 
had raised doubts about Advani's ability to mount sustained, 
ideologically-driven attacks on the UPA.  This issue appeared 
settled in 2007, with the RSS and BJP delivering various 
public statements in support of Advani as the presumptive BJP 
prime ministerial candidate.  Few believe that Shekhawat, for 
all his cross-party appeal and years of political service, 
can seriously challenge Advani for the BJP's PM candidate 
slot.  However, Shekhawat's heated attacks, and the tremors 
that it has triggered within party ranks, underline the 
faultlines between the BJP and some quarters of its RSS base. 
 
Waiting out the Storm 
--- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Placed in an unenviable situation by a respected 
if somewhat cranky party veteran, the BJP's interim strategy 
has been to wait out the news cycle and to stay clear of 
provocative public statements.  Eager to project a united 
front ahead of national elections, political observers do not 
expect any organizational changes at the center or in the 
state of Rajasthan.  The BJP and NDA allies, including the 
RSS, have given Advani the stamp of approval for the Prime 
Minister position and are unlikely to revisit that issue. 
 
NEW DELHI 00000109  002 OF 002 
 
 
Analysts believe that Shekhawat's tantrums will have minimal 
political fallout in the national elections.  Many within the 
party feel that the affect of Shekhawat's rebellion will only 
impact Rajasthan politics, and that too in a limited manner. 
Most would like to see the issues resolved behind closed 
doors by party leaders.  With this in mind, Party President 
Rajnath Singh met with Shekhawat on January 9, which 
according to party sources helped to "ease the atmosphere". 
 
Comment:  Eyes on the Prize, Elections 2009 
--- 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Shekhawat's announcement comes as a irritating 
distraction for the BJP at a time when the central leadership 
had been hoping to concentrate on refining the message and 
finalizing party elections strategy ahead of fast-approaching 
Lok Sabha elections.  The BJP's twin elections planks of 
fighting terror and limiting price rise are losing steam. 
The Congress Party appears to have effectively managed to 
deflect post-Mumbai public anger by keeping up the diplomatic 
pressure on Pakistan and swiftly taking steps to strengthen 
the country's terrorism-related legislation.  Inflation has 
steadily decreased during the last several months and is no 
longer a priority voter concern.  Despite limited political 
fallout, Shekhawat's attacks reflect growing factionalism 
within the BJP.  They remind the electorate that the BJP 
suffers from the same squabbling that afflicts other Indian 
political parties and that the BJP is not the united, 
disciplined, center-driven machine that it would like to 
project itself as.  While Shekhawat may have cited loftier 
reasons for his disenchantment with the party that he served 
for over half a century, word is that his petty tirade was 
triggered by rumors that his son was going to be denied a 
slot on the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate list.  END COMMENT. 
WHITE