Gopinath Munde dashes Ananth Kumar’s hopes

The faction-ridden BJP’s balancing act continues two days after Nitin Gadkari took over as president. Gopinath Munde, party MP from Beed and Gadkari’s nemesis in Maharashtra politics, was appointed deputy leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha on Monday.

The appointment made it apmly clear that the party’s organisational set-up and its parliamentary wing are mutually exclusive.

“It has been made clear that the party organisation will be strictly Gadkari’s prerogative. Gadkari’s own declaration that he will not enter parliament for the next three years has confirmed the view that these two aspects of the party will be kept separate,” a BJP office-bearer said.

Munde had long been upset with Gadkari’s influence in Maharashtra BJP. He is a prominent OBC leader and was on a strong footing in the state when his brother-in-law, the late Pramod Mahajan, was powerful in Delhi. Munde was also deputy chief minister of Maharashtra during 1995-1999 when the BJP-Shiv Sena government was in power.

His appointment dashed the hopes of Ananth Kumar — part of the Delhi Four group that also includes Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and M Venkaiah Naidu — in parliament as well as in the party. Sources said Gadkari, in fact, rebuffed an invitation for dinner at Kumar’s house when in Delhi.

While things are settling down in the BJP, it also appears to be gearing up for more shake-ups.

Other appointments in parliament remain undisturbed, though. Ramesh Bais continue to be the party chief whip in Lok Sabha, SS Ahluwalia deputy leader and Maya Singh chief whip in Rajya Sabha.