by Lakshmi Chaudhry Aug 13, 2013

Former BJP party leader Ram Jethmalani famously describedSubramanian Swamy as a “diseased insect” who has led “a life of character assassination, malicious mendacity and sordid blackmail.” But none of Jethmalani’s invective comes close to matching his target’s capacity for vitriol — which has been the lifeblood of his popularity as the hatemonger of the Right, and now earned him a place in the BJP party.

Political conservatives like Sadanand Dhume reacted to the announcement with blunt dismay. “The best way to counter a reputation for Hindu chauvinism may not be to induct someone who wants to disenfranchise Muslims,” tweeted Dhume, adding that the party seems to “[n]o longer seem to care about alienating centrists. I can’t think of a better way to show that you’re doubling down on loonies.”

But for liberals who oppose Swamy’s brand of politics, his induction ought to come as welcome news — and not just because his loose cannon ways may prove to be a liability for the BJP.

Maybe it is the Harvard pedigree, multi faith family, or high-end press connections. Whatever the reason, Swamy has long enjoyed a media pass that allows him to get away with the kind of rhetoric that would blackball a lesser man. Even critical profiles in liberal publications likeOutlook, Tehelka and Caravan paint him as a “maverick,” soft-pedaling his excesses as political opportunism than true bigotry. The assumption is that a truly erudite Macaulayputra such as he couldn’t possibly believe the hateful things he spews. He is viewed with the rueful exasperation reserved for a drunk uncle who launches into unhinged tirades at family get-togethers.

But now that Swamy is a bona fide opposition leader in an election year — as opposed to a one-man army — he is going to lose that ‘get out of jail’ card. Swamy will be held accountable for his words because he is no longer a category of one, but the representative of a national party trying to win power. Nothing would delight the Congress party more than a BJP honcho who can put Digvijaya Singh to shame. And the media can no longer justify going soft on Swamy when they pounce on every gaffe made by other politicians. Political legitimacy has its price.

For months now, pundits have been promising a ‘new’ BJP (andNarendra Modi), ready to cast off its old saffron-smeared rath yatra image and embrace the forward-thinking mantra of development. The appointment of Amit Shah to head the Uttar Pradesh campaign was one hint that the wind is blowing in the opposite direction — toward 1992. Modi’s own ‘burka-clad secularism’ was another. The induction of Swamy — who recently promised “If Modi becomes PM, the Ram temple will definitely be built in Ayodhya.” — is the latest. If three instances make a trend, then it is safe to say no such reincarnation is in the works.

Perhaps the plan instead is to follow some version of Swamy’s own blueprint for BJP victory, which he set out in a recent interview: “India is 80 percent Hindu. If we rally the Hindu vote and wean away 7 percent of the Muslim population to our side, we will win the elections.” If the BJP plans to risk all on Modi and his brand of Hindu right politics, it is good news indeed. Democracy is served best when the choices are clearly spelled out. Better to cast aside the pretense of a ‘kinder, gentler’ BJP so the voters know exactly what’s on offer.

“SS can say the outrageous stuff and the BJP can distance/ amplify depending on the reaction,” tweeted columnist Devangshu Dutta, offering his interpretation of the BJP’s decision to bring Swamy into the party fold. But that’s exactly why the BJP kept Swamy on the outside until now. As a former ideologue of the Sangh explained to Outlookearlier this year, “The BJP wants to ride on issues that Dr Swamy picks up but he will always remain an untouchable for them.”

By rescuing him from his pariah status, BJP has to now pay for the benefits of making Swamy their official attack dog. The urbane Arun Jaitley, genial Nitin Gadkari and soft-spoken Rajnath Singh will have to respond the next time Swamy describes the leader of the Congress Party as a “Hitler incarnation” or “vish kanya” who “kills everyone she touches;” or refers to its General Secretary as “buddhu” or “Raul Vinci.”

The BJP will now be held accountable for every one of Swamy’s slanderous theories, and with the gleeful assistance of the Congress party machine. Until now, there was no profit in going after Swamy since it rewarded him with the publicity he so craved. But now he makes a juicy opposition party target, an opportunity to embarrass BJP and even Modi, who loftily distanced himself from Internet trolls:

Modi’s now saddled himself with the Pied Piper of trolls.  It is hard to take Sonia Gandhi to task for her infamous ‘maut ka saudagar‘ remark when the loudest mouth in your party has repeatedly accused her of engineering her own husband’s assassination.

As a recent Firstpost article observed, “In the final analysis, it seems more likely Swamy will benefit more from the BJP, than the other way around.” But the biggest benefit may well lie elsewhere. At the very least, if party membership inspires some verbal restraint on Swamy’s part, it will single-handedly improve the tone of political debate in the virtual world. A little less hate on our TL will do us all some good.