With Pakistan imploding, Afghanistan in turmoil, Bangladesh on the jihadi path and Sri Lanka in a state of civil war the last thing we need in Delhi is a government in the clutches of Marxists or regional satraps. Just that this is not going to happen is cause enough for relief but there are other reasons why I think the results of this election are good for India. I believe that the Bharatiya Janata Party has long needed a solid kick in the butt. Hopefully this one will be solid enough for its leaders to realise that Hindutva is a boring, burned out idea that died the day the Babri Masjid came down.

To respond to every major national issue by waving saffron flags and setting off on some yatra is pathetic. Not once in this long and dreary election campaign did we hear BJP leaders give us alternative solutions to the big problems that confront us. National security was their pet issue but all they could offer was POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act), an ineffective law that was mostly misused to target Muslims. On poverty alleviation, on education, on healthcare on solving our grim problems of urbanisation we heard nothing from any BJP leader that could be described as a new idea. On foreign policy and on the economy we heard nothing either. If proof were needed that it is time for the aged leaders of the BJP and the RSS to retire, it is the results of this election. Only when there are new, young leaders in charge will there be any chance of the BJP developing into a modern political party that will hopefully be able to challenge the Congress Party in 2014.

... contd.