Delayed response to suspension episode exposes weakness in BJP’s response system

The delayed response of the State Bharatiya Janata Party  brass to the Uttara Bahuguna suspension episode has exposed serious chinks in the party’s response system when faced with a blistering opposition onslaught on a potentially emotive issue like teachers’ transfer. Seemingly left flummoxed by the row sparked by the CM-teacher spat at the CM’s  Janta Darbar on Thursday, the ruling party brass in the State took days to come up with the defence and that too was poor, given the awe-inspiring, well-oiled  organisational machinery the party is supposed to have to fight fire. The ruling party’s inept handling of the controversy which might drag long, given the emotive nature of the transfer issue, seems to have given the opposition, lying low for long, much ammunition to go hammer and tongs against the beleaguered CM and the baffled ruling party, with the crucial general election approaching near, say the state watchers.   

The fact that it took more than three days for the ruling party to defend its Chief Minister against the  full-blown opposition onslaught is clear revelation of the embarrassment the State ruling party mandarins found themselves in on the matter. The Vikasnagar MLA Munna Singh Chauhan  held a Press conference at the state party office on Sunday and his defence of the embattled CM was poor by the intellectual standards expected of the saffron camp, deemed adept in weathering a storm.    What is more baffling for the observers is the fact that the party’s famed social media warriors chose to keep away from the heat of the raging battle fought on the social media platforms on the issue. One of the first- time MLAs of the ruling party said that confusion prevailing thick among  the party’s rank and file, he like many others kept wondering how to react to the social media onslaught and the public debate raging on the matter. The party should have adopted an aggressive posture supported by cogent logic  from the day one to stem the tide of the opposition fireworks while defending the CM on the emotive teacher transfer issue, he opined.

Another party leader insisting on anonymity also admitted that the party  had failed to act properly on the issue which  had given the suddenly  rejuvenated  opposition much space to tear into  the CM and his Government.

Notably, the party has  four official spokespersons and a host of senior leaders holding numerous organisational positions to speak for the party. But the reality is that none of them was found active to blunt the attack mounted on the embattled CM in the aftermath of the unsavoury episode of CM and   the primary school headmistress Uttara Bahuguna sparring at the CM’s Janta Darbar.  As the row dragged on, the wife of CM came up in the eye of the storm  for her posting in a Dehradun-based school for years.

Finally, on Sunday,  Munna Singh Chauhan came out with the fact that since Uttara belongs to the district cadre  she cannot be transferred to Dehradun, a defence which is considered too late too little, making it clear to the discernible that the party is defending the indefensible.