Gadkari’s inclusive act may open old fissures in BJP

Nitin Gadkari was the answer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to the leadership crisis in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), driven listless by debilitating factionalism and ego clashes not long ago. After three months as BJP president, Gadkari had a task on hand: To give the party a sense of direction. As he came out with his list of office-bearers on Tuesday, the jury was still out.

The BJP president’s list of 121 office-bearers is a blend of youth and experience, Hindutva hardliners and doves, and several other conflicting strains in the party. However, if a team is supposed to be a statement of intent, Gadkari’s is not one. At best, it reflects his inclusive approach and his seriousness to promote third and fourth generations of leaders.

The new BJP team has 13 vice-presidents, 10 general secretaries, 15 secretaries and one treasurer. The party also announced its 81-member national executive. While several faces have made their debut — actor Hema Malini as vice-president, and Varun Gandhi, Vani Tripathi, Smriti Irani and Arti Mehra as secretaries — there is a feeling that many older faces have been unduly rewarded.

Gadkari’s new team was being closely watched in the context of factionalism in the party and the RSS’s demands.    

Despite a disastrous record as party president, senior leader Rajnath Singh has managed to get key posts for his people. Three general secretaries — Thawarchand Gehlot, Narendra Singh Tomar and Vijay Goel — owe loyalty to him. This means Singh would continue to have a say under the new dispensation.
In the parliamentary board, the most important body of the party, LK Advani holds sway.

Except for Rajnath Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi and Thawarchand Gehlot, all other members — Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and parliamentary board secretary Ananth Kumar — are Advani loyalists. The arrangement might also open a can of worms for Gadkari.

While RSS nominees like Varun Gandhi, Muralidhar Rao and Tarun Vijay have been accommodated, it was expected that Rao would get a better position. Gadkari, who is trying to project a soft image of himself, had to accommodate hardliners like Vinay Katiyar to please the mother organisation.

The biggest disappointment to those expecting Gadkari’s list to be a departure from the past was the absence of a Muslim face in any effective party position. While Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Najma Heptullah have been made vice-presidents, a largely decorative post, Bhagalpur MP Shahnawaz Hussain, who was tipped to be general secretary in this team, was adjusted as one of the spokespersons. No Muslim finds a place in the party’s parliamentary board either.

The list appeared a little skewed in favour of one state and against some others. For example, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh appeared very well represented, with the former getting one vice-president in Hema Malini, three secretaries and the party treasurer Piyush Goel. Out of the 10 general secretaries, two — Thawarchand Gehlot and Narendra Singh Tomar — are from Madhya Pradesh.

“We cannot help but compare this to Karnataka’s case, which is the party’s first government in the south, and apart from Ananth Kumar, who has always found space at the centre, only Vijayshankar from the state has been made a member of the national executive,” said a senior leader.

Women have found ample space in the new team. With 40 out of 121 members being women, the party has kept its promise of 33% quota for them in organisational posts.

The party’s chief spokesperson and newly appointed Ravi Shankar described the team as a blend of the young and the old. What it might, however, do is end the ceasefire in the party and give fresh impetus to the party’s many discontented elements.