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BJP : From crisis to crisis |
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There is no end to the political problems faced by the BJP. Just as it had settled the crisis in its Jharkhand unit, dissidents in Gujarat have served an ultimatum on the central party leadership to either remove Narendra Modi as Chief Minister or face their resignations from governmental or party positions. The dissidents have conveyed it to the leadership that they will return to the national capital after the end of the Parliament session on August 30 to continue their campaign for the ouster of Narendra Modi.
Asked about the dissidents’ ultimatum of “hard steps”, party spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said that the party is aware of the problem and would address the issue after the end of the Parliament session.
The dissidents have been pitching for the removal of Modi for the past six months, but had stepped up their anti-Modi campaign a month back lobbying hard against the “autocratic style of functioning” of the Chief Minister which had resulted in the marginalisation of senior party leaders.
During the past week, the rebels met all the top BJP central leaders who are members of the party’s highest decision making body - Central Parliamentary Board - for convincing them for the ouster of Modi ahead of the coming Panchayat polls in the state.
The dissidents are especially cut up by party president Advani’s remarks during his recent Gujarat visit that Narendra Modi is the Best Chief Minister in the country. He said Narendra Modi would help in Gujarat creating a name for itself in the world.
Narendra Modi suffered a set back last week when Minister of State for Sports Bavku Unghad, a loyalist of former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel resigned from the Council of Ministers. In a statement he said that he is resigning as he is not keeping good health after suffering what he called “mental torture” at Modi’s hand at a cabinet meeting.
Arjun Munda gets a reprieve in Jharkhand
Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda got a reprieve on Friday, August 26, when dissident BJP MLAs agreed to work under his leadership. Party general secretary Rajnath Singh thrashed out an agreement at a three hour meeting between the warring factions at his residence in New Delhi. Sources say that the dissident leaders agreed to work under Munda’s leadership provided he changed his style of functioning. The Chief Minister has been given a month to prove that he could carry various factions with him.
Two committees have been set up to coordinate between the Government and the party in the state and also to get the cooperation of coalition partners. Earlier, the dissidents had been camping in New Delhi for several days demanding the ouster of Chief Minister Arjun Munda.
RSS wants BJP revamp
The RSS is understood to be pressing the BJP to revert to the pre-eighties Sangh code of elected party posts. It wants the BJP to revive the Jan Sangh practice under which officials from the party chief downwards will be elected and no individual will wield absolute clout.
Sources say that radical changes may be brought about in the BJP Constitution that would bring in the concept of collective leadership as opposed to the present system under which the party president is all powerful and nominates the entire team of central office bearers, and most of the national executive members. A brain-storming session between the BJP’s top leaders and the RSS may take place early next month ahead of the party’s national executive committee meeting in Chennai. In any case, the issue is expected to be sorted out before the BJP national council session in Mumbai in December. The Chennai meeting is scheduled to be held from September 14 to 16.
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