Heh, I didn't realize 20 years ago was just 1995, I was thinking of how BJP went from a single-digit party to something with a national presence with its brand of radical hinduism in its 80s expansion phase. It's nice they've taken on a developmental agenda since then to better appeal to voters. Actually that's a disservice, having a developed, industrialized nation aligns with their objectives and I have no doubt BJP as a whole will fix us economically in many ways.

I like to think I'm not crazy. I have no doubt that BJP has toned down a lot in the last decade and will likely stay that way. I also don't believe we are under any active threat from Hindu terrorists. What I fear is BJP getting smarter and using its electoral gains to push its worldview on Indians in more subtle ways. The party came to the forefront using radical Hinduism, its chief ideology, but didn't win national elections based on them. It won national mandates on its economical record.

In power, now it can play the Congress game. It can put important people where it wants. Make sure people aligned with its ideology are active in the government, and make inroads into things like education and media. That worries me. The BJPs core ideology is fundamentally toxic and the "perfect" version of India that it seeks scares me. They keep the crazies at bay for now and actually do a good job. I really hope they stay that way and like Congress, forget the ideals they were built on.

As far as the Congress goes, your jibes at "my beloved" are laughable. I respect the old Congress, and realize that the current Congress has nothing to do with them. Congress may have gone from taking care of all minorities to going fully vote bank a long time ago, but BJP knows it has India's largest votebank in its pocket.