In the last fortnight the ruling BJP has made every effort to make sure that memorials of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee are raised to the same heights as Nehru-Gandhi memorials once were. From planning museums and statues, to the well-publicised Asthi Kalash Yatra or carrying Vajpayee’s ashes across the country, there are also plans to rename towns and roads after Vajpayee. The sendoff to Vajpayee was marked with the ultimate symbolism of homage when Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked behind Vajpayee’s hearse all the way from party headquarters to the funeral venue.
But beyond the symbolism, has BJP in its 21st century avatar truly embraced the plural impulses of a prime minister who, even while remaining rooted in the RSS-Jana Sangh Read More
