Upendra Prasad.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is not the only person, who is feeling restless over the prospects of Narendra Modi as the next PM candidate of BJP, the same restlessness may also be found in RSS. Former spokesman of RSS, MG Vaidya demonstrated his frustration over the growing stature of Narendra Modi in a calculated way. Though, the turbulence caused by his blog blaming the Gujarat Chief Minister for the current ordeal of BJP President Nitin Gadkari, has subsided, it has shown that there is intense infighting within BJP and RSS over the issue of the PM candidate of NDA in the next general elections of Lok Sabha.
For last many months, the politics of BJP is veering around Narendra Modi. Earlier a guessing game used to be played to know who would feel the vacuum of leadership after Atal Advani era. Atal is resting because of his poor health and Advani was forced to rest by RSS after 2009 Lok Sabha Elections. Advani was asked to hand over his role to lead the party to second rung leaders. He obeyed it and made Sushma Swaraj as the leader of Lok Sabha and Arun Jaitley as the leader of Rajya Sabha of his party’s parliamentarians. Then the question doing the round was who among Sushma, Jaitley, Narendra Modi, Venkaiah Naidu, Rajnath Singh and Ananth Kumar would be at the helm of the party. It seemed that there would be keen competition among them to reach the top. At the end of the tenure of Rajnath Singh as Party President, RSS brought Nitin Gadkari in the Centre and made him the party President. Another unknown name came at the stage.
With the arrival of Nitin Gadkari in Delhi as Party President, the power centre shifted to Nagpur. Though Rajnath Singh, too, was a Sangh nominee, he used to function in a democratic way and used to take into confidence the other central leaders before taking a decision. But Gadkari did not care for the other central leaders and took decision only taking into his confidence his bosses of Nagpur. Advani, Sushma, Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and other leaders were hardly consulted on major issues. Uttar Pradesh election was an example. He did not consult the foresaid leaders, before giving the entry to the tainted ex Ministers of BSP into the party. It resulted into the loss of face of the party in an environment, where even the corrupt leaders were making corruption an election issue. Such decision caused the BJP to loose Uttarakhand by slender margin, because the main issue of BJP in the hilly state was the enactment of a Lok Ayukt Law to the liking of Anna Hazare. Uttarakhand was a part Of UP just 11 years ago and the entry of tainted leaders of BSP into BJP damaged its chance in Uttarakhand. Even in UP, BJP suffered a lot because of such tainted entries and even its urban middle class supporters moved towards Mulayam Singh Yadav in significant numbers giving victories to SP candidates even in BJP strongholds of urban Uttar Pradesh.
Charged with the support of RSS, Gadkari might have succeeded in marginalizing the BJP leaders based in Delhi, but he could not cut into size the strongman of Gujarat. He refused to campaign in February Assembly elections of 2012 in four states, because Sanjay Joshi was rehabilitated in the party and was made UP in charge. He even did not attend national executive meeting. When an Executing Meeting was being held in Mumbai, Narendra Modi threatened to not only abstain, but also resign from it, if Sanjay Joshi was not removed from the party positions. Gadkari was forced to oblige him. Modi was taking on his detractors in RSS and BJP and at the same time trying to improve his image among the Muslims. As the most vocal leader of BJP, Modi has naturally emerged as the most popular leader among the BJP workers. Almost all surveys were now showing Modi as the most popular political leader of India. These findings of surveys made him natural claimant of the top slot of his party.
Nitish Kumar is yet another leader, who does not like Narendra Modi, because of the fear of loosing hold of Bihar politics, if Gujarat strongman is made the national face of BJP. When Modi was engaged in his battle against Gadkari and his RSS bosses, Nitish raised the issue of Prime Ministerial candidate of BJP and demanded the name of the candidate should be announced without making any delay. He was ready to accept anyone other than Narendra Modi. He thought by such demand he was strengthening the hand of RSS and Nitin Gadkari, who would show Modi his place, but Bihar CM has made a wrong calculation. RSS only rebuffed him for asking to name a secular man as candidate of the BJP. RSS reactions over Nitish demand only strengthened the Modi of Gujarat.
RSS wants a second term for Gadkari. BJP obliged it by changing its Constitution to enable second term for Gadkari, but the media expose of corrupt practices of his company has demolished the game plan of his bosses. One of the leaders, who can gain from the plight of Gadkari is Modi. Gadkari fall is the rise of Modi. That is why Gadkari is being defended. Gadkari expose has definitely harmed BJP in Himachal Pradesh. The extent of harm can be known only after the result. In Gujarat, Gadkari expose may not work in the same way, because, Narendra Modi is the only issue of election there. A big win of BJP may weaken the anti Modi forces inside RSS, hence they may try to damage the BJP prospect there. MG Vaidya blog is targeted on that. Even during last Assembly elections, saffron leaders like Pravin Togadiya had worked against the party, but their opposition did not work.
After MG Vaidya blog, there is silence now, but it will be broken after Gujarat Elections. Advani is another factor in the infighting of BJP and RSS. He may not be having the support of RSS, but JD(U) is behind him. He has made his frustration over not becoming Prime Minister of the country many times. After Gadkari episode, he was nursing the hope of becoming al least interim President of the party, but his hope was dashed and once again he showed his frustration by claiming that party has given him a lot. At the earliest opportunity, Advani will officially join the battle for BJP’s PM candidate. (IPA)
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