In 1994, expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader Madhu Deolekar wrote an essay, saying the BJP was infected with groupism, corruption and indiscipline -- just like the Congress. Deolekar -- who has been with the Rashtriya Swaymsevak Sangh since 1945 and was its pracharak in Kutch, Gujarat -- is what can be called a hardcore Hindutva hawk. He was a member of the Jana Sangh from 1952 and was a member of legislative council in Maharashtra from 1978 to 1988. When the BJP was formed in 1980, he was the party's general secretary in Mumbai. With the rise of Pramod Mahajan and after the BJP's alliance with the Shiv Sena, old-timers like Deolekar became redundant for the party. Although BJP leaders have forgotten him and dismiss his views as the voice of a frustrated old man, RSS supremo K Sudarshan still calls on Deolekar. Recently, the RSS chief visited Deolekar's home in Khar, a western suburb of Mumbai, to consult on ways of celebrating RSS founder Madhav Sadashiv Golvalkar's centenary anniversary, which began on December 11. Today, Deolekar is in pain because he sees the "vichar shakti [ideological strength]" behind the birth of the BJP fading before his eyes. As India's main Opposition party celebrates 25 years of its existence, rediff.com revisits an old BJP man who is of no use to the party. Over to him: In 1980, we were all in the Janata Party. I was its public relations officer in Mumbai. On the issue of dual membership, the Jana Sangh constituent of the Janata party
