At 52, Gadkari is younger than almost all party leaders. He has cast his talent search net far and wide, undertaking a tour of various states, to zoom in on good candidates.
Nitin Gadkari is discovering that becoming the youngest president of the Bharatiya Janata Party has its drawbacks, especially when it comes to choosing office-bearers.
At 52, Gadkari is younger than almost all party leaders. He has cast his talent search net far and wide, undertaking a tour of various states, to zoom in on good candidates.
Sources confirmed that Gadkari will be off to Punjab in the second week of January, and visit the Golden Temple and the Devaranya temple, mainly to meet leaders. Trips to Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are also lined up.
“In fact, Gadkariji has written to all state presidents, asking for their nominees, to make up his team,” sources said.
Gadkari has reportedly employed a private agency to check out some resumes making their way to his inbox. “Some claims by applicants are a little too incredible, which need to be checked out,” the sources added.
“There are a few things that he has to keep in mind while selecting the right team. First of all, the age factor is important. He cannot have too many senior people who may balk at taking orders from him. Secondly, with Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Gadkari himself being Brahmins, they are over-represented at top posts. The team will have no space for that particular group,” the sources said.
The fact that almost all senior leaders participated in a recent bout of faction-fighting also makes it difficult for Gadkari to choose one over the other.
Another criterion made clear by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is that the mix has to be between mass leaders and purely organisation men. “After all, the main task of a political party is fighting elections,” the sources added.
Powerful regional satraps like Manohar Parikkar may find that the Tina (There Is No Alternative) factor is an inhibitor for them to join the centre. “He is an ideal candidate, but if he comes to Delhi, the party will be rudderless in Goa,” the sources said. Parikkar, an IITian, is young and is a mass leader in the state.
“However, these are few and far between, since Indian political parties consider a septuagenarian leader a ‘young face’,” said the sources.
The names of several top party leaders are doing the rounds, but the fact remains that the talent pool can only stretch so much.
Gadkari is fond of quoting the opening lines from the Hum Hindustani song: ‘Chhodo kal ki baatein, kal ki baat puraani, naye daur mein likhenge milkar nayi kahaani (Leave the past behind to carve a new future).’
When it comes to choosing the right people, however, he is finding out that the game change he is talking about cannot be implemented so abruptly.
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