Nearly a week after the BJP suffered a crushing poll defeat under his stewardship in Bihar, storm clouds of dissent over party president Amit Shah are yet to dissipate.
Party veterans L.K. Advani, Yashwant Sinha and Murli Manohar Joshi met up yet again, a couple of days after they issued a statement, along with senior leader Shanta Kumar, accusing the party leadership of having “emasculated” the party organisation, forcing it to “kowtow” to the leadership.
This was as straight a hit at Mr. Shah as was possible to take, and his control of the party organisation during both the disastrous campaigns in the Delhi and Bihar Assembly polls. The very visible efforts to calm the apprehensions of the seniors by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who met them on Thursday, can best be described as a “work in progress.” On Friday, Union Minister for Roads and Highways Nitin Gadkari clarified that he had not asked for disciplinary action against the seniors, “only those who had spoilt the atmosphere during the polls.”
“They [the veterans] are our highly respected leaders and neither I nor any other party functionary has ever shown any disrespect to them. There was absolutely no question of anyone suggesting calling for an explanation from them and not the least demanding disciplinary action against them,” he said. Mr. Gadkari, according to senior leaders, meant BJP MPs from Bihar Shatrughan Sinha and R.K. Singh who had made very vocal protests against what they said was a disconnect between the State unit and the central leadership.
Shah’s continuation in question
The clarification by Union Roads Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday that no action against the party veterans for their criticism of the leadership was even contemplated and reports that Home Minister Rajnath Singh wanted their comments to be taken on board rather than viewed as acts of dissent indicate that BJP president Amit Shah’s continuation as party chief (his term will end in December, when he comes up for re-election) is now in question.
“Till the time continued electoral success was associated with Mr. Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, no dissent was brooked. Mr. Shah pretty much chose who he felt comfortable with as his office-bearers, disregarding the opinion of seniors,” said a senior leader.
“After Delhi and Bihar, there is now a feeling that this is the opportunity to clip his wings,” said a senior office-bearer of the party.
The RSS, always the deciding factor, has not taken any overt stance, although there have been reports of RSS-BJP pointman Krishna Gopal meeting External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday (a day before the party veterans released their statement of protest).
The RSS has always been uncomfortable with the fact that Mr. Shah, the closest aide of Prime Minister Modi controlled the party organisation when the government was already controlled by Mr. Modi.
“This basically meant that one clique controlled everything. And yet, at the time Mr. Shah was made party president, there was no way the RSS could refuse Mr. Modi’s choice,” said a senior source in the RSS.
Mr. Shah, who visited Chitrakoot on Friday afternoon, has maintained a studied silence not even initiating action against Bihar BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha who has been continually daring him to do so.
His first port of call on November 8, after he had conceded the Bihar poll, was RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. It is in that court, it seems, that his continuation as party chief now rests.
