Why Rajnath Singh’s election will bring more conflicts between BJP and RSS
In the latest episode of the family drama called theSanghParivar, it is difficult to point out who the winner is, except perhaps BJP's newly-elected presidentRajnath Singh, who was chosen for the post by the very colleagues who made his last stint in office that much more interesting.
On the face of it, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh's (RSS) failure to get Nitin Gadkari, its chosen man, a second consecutive term as party chief is a setback of historic proportions. The RSS has always been seen as the ideological mothership of the BJP, providing guidance, and asking for course corrections whenever it sees the party stray from the Hindutva path. By deputing senior members of its organisation as office bearers in the BJP, the umbilical cord is reinforced even institutionally.
In this narrative of filial obedience how do we square Gadkari's exit? Is it a revolution, a putsch or a grudge match between RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and senior BJP leader LK Advani, still smarting at being sidelined post 2009? The truth is in the details of what happened in the run up to this upset, and the current state of play in the BJP.
Long Arm of I-T Men
January 22 was a day like any other, then party president Gadkari and Advani were supposed to attend a programme arranged by the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabhodini, a Sangh-affiliated think tank based in Mumbai. News broke that there were a series of income-tax raids being conducted on premises connected with Purti Power and Sugar Limited, a company headed by Gadkari. Advani, who was clearly of the view that a scam-tainted Gadkari would be a political liability in the party's campaign against corruption in the UPA saw this as an omen and quickly got in touch with Sangh elders, a day before the BJP president was to be elected to halt Gadkari's continuation in the post.
While some Sangh leaders met Advani in Mumbai to discuss the matter, a hurried meeting was convened of available senior leaders in Delhi at leader of the the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley's home on Todar Mal Lane. The RSS, which till now was solidly behind Gadkari stating that no official enquiry had been initiated into Purti group's dealings had been unnerved by the IT raids, and decided to give up its insistence. Advani had won round one.
After this, things became more interesting. In the search for a replacement, all the hidden fissures and distrust between the second rung of the party came to the fore. While Advani suggested leader of the opposition in theLok Sabha Sushma Swaraj's name, she ruled herself out noticing the tepid response this suggestion evoked.
Jaitley's name was also proposed, but again, to mixed response. Nearly 12-15 names were suggested ranging from Shanta Kumar, to 88-year-old Balram Tandon to Ravi Shankar Prasad and former party presidentVenkaiah Naidu and dismissed one after the other. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi joined this meeting over a conference call and suggested his nominees, reportedly Jaitley and former Himachal chief minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal.
The Dark Horse
The RSS was clear that it still thought that Gadkari had been brought down by internal sabotage within the BJP rather than any outside agent and therefore did not want what they termed the Delhi coterie to get their hands on the party president's post. Through all this, Rajnath Singh's name cropped up again and again and was set aside in the search for an alternative. It was evening by the time party leaders realised that they may have got Gadkari out, but the banding together was limited to that enterprise.
On the face of it, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh's (RSS) failure to get Nitin Gadkari, its chosen man, a second consecutive term as party chief is a setback of historic proportions. The RSS has always been seen as the ideological mothership of the BJP, providing guidance, and asking for course corrections whenever it sees the party stray from the Hindutva path. By deputing senior members of its organisation as office bearers in the BJP, the umbilical cord is reinforced even institutionally.
In this narrative of filial obedience how do we square Gadkari's exit? Is it a revolution, a putsch or a grudge match between RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and senior BJP leader LK Advani, still smarting at being sidelined post 2009? The truth is in the details of what happened in the run up to this upset, and the current state of play in the BJP.
Long Arm of I-T Men
January 22 was a day like any other, then party president Gadkari and Advani were supposed to attend a programme arranged by the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabhodini, a Sangh-affiliated think tank based in Mumbai. News broke that there were a series of income-tax raids being conducted on premises connected with Purti Power and Sugar Limited, a company headed by Gadkari. Advani, who was clearly of the view that a scam-tainted Gadkari would be a political liability in the party's campaign against corruption in the UPA saw this as an omen and quickly got in touch with Sangh elders, a day before the BJP president was to be elected to halt Gadkari's continuation in the post.
While some Sangh leaders met Advani in Mumbai to discuss the matter, a hurried meeting was convened of available senior leaders in Delhi at leader of the the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley's home on Todar Mal Lane. The RSS, which till now was solidly behind Gadkari stating that no official enquiry had been initiated into Purti group's dealings had been unnerved by the IT raids, and decided to give up its insistence. Advani had won round one.
After this, things became more interesting. In the search for a replacement, all the hidden fissures and distrust between the second rung of the party came to the fore. While Advani suggested leader of the opposition in theLok Sabha Sushma Swaraj's name, she ruled herself out noticing the tepid response this suggestion evoked.
Jaitley's name was also proposed, but again, to mixed response. Nearly 12-15 names were suggested ranging from Shanta Kumar, to 88-year-old Balram Tandon to Ravi Shankar Prasad and former party presidentVenkaiah Naidu and dismissed one after the other. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi joined this meeting over a conference call and suggested his nominees, reportedly Jaitley and former Himachal chief minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal.
The Dark Horse
The RSS was clear that it still thought that Gadkari had been brought down by internal sabotage within the BJP rather than any outside agent and therefore did not want what they termed the Delhi coterie to get their hands on the party president's post. Through all this, Rajnath Singh's name cropped up again and again and was set aside in the search for an alternative. It was evening by the time party leaders realised that they may have got Gadkari out, but the banding together was limited to that enterprise.
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