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Mumbai: It is now out
in the open that not all within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
are happy with their president Nitin Gadkari getting a second
term, largely because of an internal struggle for power.
While the BJP central leadership, ahead of the two-day national
executive meet in Mumbai, tried to patch up with Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi and former Karnataka chief minister B.S.
Yeddyurappa, the differences between the party president and other
central leaders seem to be creating new camps within the party.
Foremost among those upset with Gadkari is BJP veteran L.K. Advani,
said a party source, who did not wish to be identified because of
the sensitivity of the issue. Advani thinks Gadkari takes
decisions unilaterally, after receiving directions from the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said the source.
Then there is Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj,
who is not only upset with Gadkari but also with Modi, said a
source but did not explain why.
Even veteran Murli Manohar Joshi is against Gadkari, said the
source.
Both Advani and Joshi were absent when the BJP at its national
executive meet which ended here Friday amended its constitution,
facilitating the second consecutive presidential term to Gadkari.
Even though the BJP is downplaying the absence of Advani and
Jopshi from the crucial national executive session, a party
source admitted the differences were evidently due to an ego
clash.
"The problem is Gadkari's closeness to the RSS. He is taking
directions from Nagpur (the RSS headquarters), which upsets the
seniors," another party insider, who also declined to be
identified, told IANS.
"Also, some leaders felt that this amendment to party constitution
might not be good in the long run. The restriction put on a party
president from getting a second term was to prevent the
concentration of power. BJP does not belong to a family," he said.
An amendment passed Thursday evening enables a BJP president at
national, state and district-level to get a second successive
term. Gadkari's term expires in December.
Some new power equations are also emerging within the party.
Gadkari has attempted to patch up with Modi, who was upset with
him for inducting his arch-rival Sanjay Joshi into the national
executive.
Joshi quit his party post just ahead of the national executive
meet since the word spread that Modi would not attend it if Joshi
continued to be its member.
This is how Gadkari was forced to sacrifice his close associate as
the BJP felt it needed Modi's popularity for the next general
election, due in 2014.
Yeddyurappa too is trying to cash in on the differences between
Gadkari and Advani. He has been favouring Gadkari and speaking
against party leader Ananth Kumar, who is close to Advani.
BJP's senior leaders had asked Yeddyurappa to resign from the
chief minister's post following graft charges against him. Now he
is looking to Gadkari for reinstatement as the chief minister in
Karnataka.
However, despite the differences, there seems an agreement among
the party leaders to focus on the mid-term elections which the
party is expecting, say others.
"The focus for now is on upcoming elections and there is a sense
of confidence in the party," said another leader, a view endorsed
by others.
"The challenges are clear and the organisational structure cannot
be disturbed. That is clear to all," she said.
(Anjali Ojha can be contacted at anjali.o@ians.in)
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