A day after buying peace with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Friday faced a fresh crisis within the party — senior leader L.K. Advani and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj skipped the customary public rally to mark the close of the party's national executive.
Spokespersons of the party tried in vain throughout the day to convince the journalists covering the event not to read any meaning into the two leaders' absence at the rally, where Mr. Modi shared the dais with Mr. Gadkari along with other leaders.
Mr. Advani's absence became the talking point as he had never given it a miss since the formation of the party in 1980. According to party insiders, he is not happy over a second term for Mr. Gadkari and also the manner in which Mr. Modi has held the party hostage for several months.
Senior party leaders said Mr. Advani was not present at the national executive on Thursday when the resolution to amend the party constitution to allow a second term for Mr. Gadkari was passed.
The party spokespersons pointed out that Mr. Advani was not scheduled to address the rally due to his prior engagements and it was made public four days ago.
However, they tied themselves in knots in explaining the absence of Ms. Swaraj. Insistence by journalists that her name figures in the invitation card for the rally left them with no defence. The official explanation is she told the leadership that she had an important party engagement.
Indicating the changed equations within the top brass after the return of Mr. Modi to the centre stage, the former Karnataka Chief Minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa, not only made it a point to rush here to mark his presence at the executive, but also spoke gushingly on Mr. Modi's leadership qualities.
Keywords: BJP National Executive, party infighting
"This problem of communalism attached to Modi might be of decisions taken by the big brass of BJP and Modi may be stigmaized because of it." May require a special dictionary to decipher. English is the language that binds only a very limited population in India. Much less than the Gujarati speaking population. Knowing/speaking Enlglish has never been the criterion to become PM of India. Modi is supposed to have post-graduate qualifications in Sociology/Social work and he has addressed the Chennai public in English when he participated in two annual meetings of "Thuglak" magazine (check You Tube). I am sure he can speak Hindi well, which is more important than speaking in English, as far as India is concerned. US can play games with countries like Libya and Afghanistan, but could do nothing in Hungary and Czechoslavakia during the cold war and lost in Viet Nam. The threat of US invasion of India if Modi becomes PM may scare at the best a few secuar babies
Being ambitious is not bad but if such an ambition kills the golden hen then the ambition must be killed. Advaniji commands a great respect for being an honest politician but his absence from the party meet has badly disappointed his fans. Sushmaji too seems to have forgotten that the party is supreme and if she is a leader of opposition it is because of the party and not because of her any extraordinary ability which is available in abundance in many other leaders of her party. Advaniji and Sushmaji have spoiled the image of the party at a time when surveys are giving a higher score to BJP over the Congress. They should make their stand clear. Such cracks which of late have grown in the party for individual gains have disappointed the people who are fed up with the corrupt and inefficient rule of the Congress party and have pinned their hopes on BJP. The RSS should either not interfere in the party affairs or play the same role as that of Soniaji.
@kvjayan Your critique of my comment makes no sense. Please take classes in the understanding English . My statement that Jaitley is elegant in no way equates elegance with communalism. These are qualities Jaitley possesses. English is the language that binds all Indians. I don't know very many Indians who speak Gujerati. Modi has been accused of communalism, (whether true or not I am not a witness of the matter. This problem of communalism attached to Modi might be of decisions taken by the big brass of BJP and Modi may be stigmaized because of it. I know BJPs Parrikar in Goa was accused of communalism too after a anti-christian video was put out during his tenure in Goa as Chief Minister. When I personally asked Parrikar about the video, he told me that other forces were involved with the dissemination of the video. Congress lost no time attaching the communalism tag to Parrikar. No need to petition Uncle Sam. As with Libya, U.S.A. does what it wants when an opportunity arises.
A reader seems to threaten that if Modi (supposedly inelegant and hence, communal) were to be elected as Prime Minister then we should get ready for instant U.S. intervention! India is a democratic country (with all its flaws) as much as the US is (with its own quota of faults). Instead of fighting BJP or Modi on the ballot box, it is pathetic to see some misguided secularists petitioning Uncle Sam. This would amount to secular kata panchayat.
It is good for the Congress and other political parties if Mr,Modi is projected as the future PM candidate.What ever be the reason it is certain that BJP will not come to power at the Center if Mr,Modi is projected for the top post,even their long time alliance partner the JD[U] won't be with the BJP,instead it will indirectly help the Congress to find more friends to fight the 2014 general election.
if modi is projected as pm candidate dont know about BJP but NDA will no where be there. it will be a history!!!
BJP should set its house in order ASAP.It cant afford to lose the golden opportunity provided by mismanagement of economy by congress and its massive corruption.The mood in country is overwhelmingly anti congress.MODI should be declared PM candidate. Advani, modi, sushma, gandkati should work together and bring back BJP into power
What can I say? This reflects very poorly on political parties in India.
On the one hand we have the Congress autocracy of Sonia Gandhi. On the other hand we have a right-wing party with all the characteristics required to have intra-party democracy, but in reality their intra-party democracy is a front for power struggles and infighting. Can't they behave like grown-ups? Or better still, can't these BJP leaders grow up?
Is NDA free from Corruption? Is NDA free from Communalism? Is NDA standing for Human Rights at all levels? Is NDA a Secular Party as per Indian Constitution? Is NDA standing against Economic Globalization, Privatization and MNCs, which is the cause for all price rise? Is NDA ready to unearth all the Black Money and Money invested in Foriegn banks? Is NDA standing for a Nuclear Free World? Is NDA standing for the rights of the people over land, water and Forest? Do you stand for Gender Equality at all levels? Do you stand for basic needs met to every citizen India as a legal right enforceable in the courts?
If BJP can give a leadership in these areas to NDA in all the states and India, you can easily come to power. But you should be honest and practical. You cannot fool the people any more. You please prove yourself.
The BJP would stand a good chance of winning if they selected Arun Jaitley for
Prime Minister. He has great presence, he's speaks several languages well and he's elegant. A prime Minister has to be selected on many qualities, not just the
administrative skills. Mr Jaitley has excellent communication skills, has not shown himself to be communal and so will appeal to all communities. Modi is doing an excellent job in Gujerat and should continue to work there. We can't have a Prime Minister who cannot be issued a visa to the most powerful country in the world, the U.S. If he tries his communal stunts as a Prime Minister then we should get ready for instant U.S. intervention. With our outdated mode of power generation (nuclear) and even more outdated military equipment we will be no match for the U.S. and the Americans need desperately to move to another country as the jet stream has contaminated and will continue to carry Fukushima's contamination to the U.S. Think before you leap BJP!
BJP, in the interest of the nation, must declare Modi as its PM candidate. Any further delay will only worsen its position at the national level. The country needs a courageous and honest person like Modi to head the Govt. The incumbent PM is a disaster. Advani should gracefully step aside and Sushma, let us be explicit, is no match for Modi.
The leaders of BJP like Advani who commanded so much respect until recently should not do this for their self interests and egos . The nation requires an alternative to the most corrupt UPA .
it is the for BJP to take some decisions when the whole country is in grip of price rise and the weak government,now the top order is just trying to complete their tenure at any cost because next time it be would not be possible for them to continue..best of luck BJP do something for people u UPA has promised
Modi can't be a leader at national level because of his arrogant nature can't be accepted. He thinks he is always the boss. Gadkari is not at all taking bold decisions. By the virtue of congress performing bad and no alternative, BJP is holding on as of now.
BJP should do something real fast to clear the dissension among the
senior members, if they want to form government at center in 2014
General election. A Strong opposition is the need of the hour.
It's high time some political party stands up against the UPA government. I am sure most people withi BJP and other protesting parties know exactly why petrol prices have shot up so sharply. What is hard to figure out is how can they protest without a more practical solution. It is irrational to just complain and protest the ruling parties decision. BJP can surely show case its competency by coming up with a comprehensive solution to the issue. This is the right time!!
NDA has sensed power after the next general elections. BJP's internal power struggle
has now come to the fore.
Won't be surprise to see if some day BJP party will be dissolved completely due to their internal politics & Leaders will join congress or other party
this is bad time for BJP to have difference in public.
i think bjp leaders going on wrong way because bjp only one party we hope next govt to be next alternative for upa but these people way going it s bad news .Only one man miracle not possible go with one group then you will be success with senior leaders guidance other wise? We hope in future come bjp govt loksabha
Nitin Gadkari seems to be the right person to guide the BJP to public reckoning after a long time and he clearly has what it takes to refloat BJP as a party which can pull the Congress down from the high pedestal on which vested interests have placed it. If the vetaran leaders of the BJP rally behind Gadkari, BJP is in with a chance to come to power in 2014.
How can leader of opposition in Loksabha of NDA skip her party's rally?
As leader of BJP and PM of future should not have important task than
her own party. The BJP is projecting itself for 2014 loksabha election
with shattered unity. The BJP has good opportunity to seize the power
as ruling party don't have any credibility but it seem to be unable to
do that. If it has to topple the government it should have strong
appealing mass leader now the BJP only has aspiring leader as everyone
want to be a PM. Leader of opposition in Rajyasbha and Loksabha never
bother to address rallies of thousond. For good governance to be
implemented there should be a strong opposition but BJP lack of this
quality. In these three years people of india never saw BJP as strong
opposition party and deserve to be ruling party.
BJP is a strange party . The power is coming to it on a golden plate without firing a single shot , thanks to the UPA misrule .But BJP seems to so shy of taking the throne. It is a dangerous sign to the integrity of India. Congress ,which all the while was binded by the Nehru family , will not have that advantage any more .No one in the first family is so tall to lead the Congress to the throne . On the other side , BJP is soley controlled by a religious outfit. It does not have any kind of operational independence from RSS. The regional parties also lack tall leaders . This will lead the country tto chaos
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