All the Prime Minister’s men

The reconstitution of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Parliamentary Board, the highest decision-making body at the national level, has once again reiterated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to be the single most important leader whose imprint was all over the announcement.
In fact, the revamping is also an acknowledgement of the Prime Minister’s status within the Sangh Parivar and it is obvious that the preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have commenced in right earnest. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise if more changes both in the organisation and the government are made in the future.
The dropping of former president and currently Union Minister, Nitin Gadkari, could not have happened without the approval of the RSS leadership. This is because Gadkari hails from Nagpur and is considered extremely close to top RSS leaders including Mohan Bhagwat. Thus, by endorsing his removal from the Parliamentary Board, the RSS recognises that Modi should be provided a free hand in chalking out the future blueprint of the BJP, so that ideologically, the party remains both strong and cohesive.
It is very well known in both the BJP and Sangh’s circles that Gadkari, who incidentally is regarded as one of the best performing ministers in the Union Cabinet, has had his own views on certain matters and has even expressed them privately or publicly. His proximity to the RSS top brass, had so far come to his rescue but this may not be the case anymore.
Every RSS and BJP worker realises that the only person who can bring the party back to power whether at the Centre or in States is Modi and that is the reason, he should be allowed to do what he wishes to. This may appear to be in variance with the original Sangh belief that country first, organisation second and individual third. Pragmatic politics demands that Modi the individual and at present the most pivotal factor in the country’s electoral theatre, has his say.
So far as Gadkari goes, it does not mean that his political future has totally been blocked, but momentarily, it indeed is a setback. In an interview, Gadkari had once recalled former US President Richard Nixon while elaborating on political wilderness. Nixon had stated that a man is not finished if he is defeated but is finished when he quits. In other words, when he gives up the fight and chooses to be in oblivion.
The composition of the new Parliamentary Board has also one glaring omission. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is out and that effectively implies that the BJP would hold next year’s Assembly polls in his state under a new leadership. Chouhan could be accommodated in the Union Cabinet, if the Prime Minister deems it appropriate. It has been a subject of speculation for quite a while that both Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje, former Rajasthan Chief Minister, would be replaced by younger and more effective leaders.
The induction of B.S. Yediyurappa, former Karnataka Chief Minister, is an indication of Modi’s desire to keep the Lingayat vote base intact both for the Assembly polls next year and the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Yediyurappa, who is over 75 years old, has been included in the primary decision-making body when his detractors were predicting that he would be now a member of the Marg Darshak Mandal.
He is there because he fits into Modi’s scheme of things and his being provided a political platform also implies that the BJP would not be doing anything substantial for his son, whom Yediyurappa wanted to be declared as his political heir and even the days of the present Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai, who owed his elevation to his former boss, could be numbered.
In a related development, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav have been included in the new Central Election Committee, where Gadkari ceases to be a member. Fadnavis has been compensated for being demoted and also to keep the Maharashtra Brahmin lobby satisfied. Bhupendra Yadav has a promising future ahead and could even find himself getting a prestigious position following more changes subsequently.
The revamp in the organisation also provides a peek into the power structure within the BJP. Despite winning Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Yogi Adityanath does not find a place and therefore may have to wait for some more time before his contribution is recognised by the current central leadership. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who like Yogi, is also from the Rajput community, continues to be member of both the Parliamentary Board and the CEC.
Even at a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister for President Droupadi Murmu, prior to her swearing in, it was Rajnath Singh who was at the head of table number two, thereby sending a strong political signal regarding Modi’s political thinking at this juncture. Table number three was headed by Piyush Goyal and table number four by Amit Shah.
Political signals are a part of power play which is witnessed in any dispensation. And the accurate interpretation of these signals sometimes helps in determining the reality. On many occasions, games of deception are also a latent part of such developments.
Narendra Modi has come a long way since he was a party functionary and then the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He has emerged as the unchallenged leader of the country and within his own party, he is completely in control. He is determined to win the 2024 Polls. Between us.