Modi and his backers may be expected to be the real beneficiaries of the oust-Gadkari campaign as the BJP chief is seen as an obstacle to Mr Modi’s vaulting ambitions
If BJP national executive member and Mumbai lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani created a flutter on Monday when he withdrew from the party’s policymaking body, saying “morally and intellectually” he couldn’t continue being there until Nitin Gadkari — facing corruption allegations — remained the BJP chief, his father Ram Jethmalani indicated at a press conference the next day that moves were afoot to dislodge Mr Gadkari.
This signals an end to the artificial peace being maintained in the saffron party by ambitious men who viewed the elevation of Mr Gadkari as party president at the RSS’ instance three years ago with dismay and helpless resignation.
No matter how aggrieved, they stuck to the stance of accepting their fate when last month the RSS made the BJP change its constitution to allow a party chief a second term. Some thought that Mr Gadkari might even bid for Prime Minister — with the blessings of the RSS, which would in effect run the show with a nonentity at the helm — if he managed to get himself elected to the Lok Sabha. The most anxious on this score was surely Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, whose appeal among BJP ranks is unmatched, although misgivings about him abound outside that party. Thus, when the opportunity has presented itself in the shape of corruption allegations against the BJP president, almost anyone who counts for anything at the top is likely to support the first step of getting Mr Gadkari knocked off his perch.
This is an attempted palace coup at its least subtle. As yet there is no blood on the carpet, but then who knows? One thing is clear. With such daring moves made against Mr Gadkari, it is really the RSS that is being challenged. Such a development is almost unprecedented in the history of Hindutva. The handful of men whose names are being bandied about after Mr Jethmalani’s press conference as leading the charge against Mr Gadkari could be a smokescreen. Mr Modi and his backers may be expected to be the real beneficiaries of the oust-Gadkari campaign as the BJP chief is seen as an obstacle to Mr Modi’s vaulting ambitions.
The RSS has taken the flaccid line that Mr Gadkari cannot be deemed guilty until the allegations against him are established in court. This is an absolutely sound position, legally speaking, but the outfit that is deemed the progenitor of the Hindutva parivar adopts a different stance when it deals with other parties. The BJP has found itself hit by unexpected happenings as the country enters the last lap before the next general election. Perhaps the only way to deal with the situation is for the party to debate the issue transparently.
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