The Hindu : National : Vajpayee has the last word

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 03, 2007
ePaper


<SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1' SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?"> </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?"> <IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?" BORDER=0 WIDTH=468 HEIGHT=60 ALT="Click Here"></A> </NOSCRIPT>

National

National

Vajpayee has the last word

Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI: The aftershocks triggered by the changes announced by Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh in the top bodies and committees of the party are expected to die down after remarks by the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, that a "lot of thought" had gone into these and a new "balance" would be struck in the party structure.

Party insiders on Friday said the changes could not have been made without the concurrence of the majority of the "four power centres" in the BJP — the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Mr. Vajpayee, Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani and the party president himself. Before making up his mind, Mr. Singh is believed to have met Suresh Soni, the RSS man "in-charge" of the BJP, two times, Mr. Vajpayee once and Mr. Advani five times. Consultations were also held over the telephone.

Cautious step

Anyone watching the BJP for the last one year since Mr. Singh took charge was aware he was taking each step very cautiously and certainly with the full approval of the RSS. Mr. Singh had carefully and successfully placed the core RSS agenda — implementing a uniform civil code, abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution and building a Ram temple at the disputed Ayodhya complex — at the very heart of the party programme after it had been on the margins for over six years when the BJP led a coalition government at the Centre.

At the senior levels of the party no one believes that Mr. Singh would have taken any step without the full approval of the RSS.

Leaders point out that for some years the RSS has been emphasising the need to build a "collective leadership" as opposed to a "star" system. While nothing has been done, and it seems nothing will be done, to needle the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in his own State, the message the party has tried to convey is that he has to work within the party structure.

It is pointed out that two recent examples of "stars" who fell from grace — and the results were disastrous for them — are Kalyan Singh in Uttar Pradesh (who left the party and came back quietly) and Uma Bharati, who was expelled after she tried to resist being removed as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Mr. Modi was too shrewd, it is being said in party circles, to make too much of a noise simply because his name has been taken off the list of members of the parliamentary board and the central election committee.

Mr. Vajpayee's comments are expected to have a sobering effect on anyone nursing a grudge. "Now that Atalji [Mr. Vajpayee] has spoken, we expect the controversy to die down. His is, as always, the last word," a party leader explained.

Seniormost

As for the taking away of the job of chief party spokesperson from Mr. Jaitley, it is being pointed out that after Pramod Mahajan's death Mr. Jaitley has become the seniormost general secretary (leaving out the general secretary [organisation] Ram Lal, loaned to the BJP by the RSS) and he has been made member-secretary of the parliamentary board in keeping with his stature. It is being pointed out that if Mr. Jaitley's "fan-club" in and outside the party was making too much of his not being given charge as spokesperson — he himself has not said a word — a disservice was being done to him.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National