The political spectrum looming over the country points to bad days. The recent political actions of Narendra Modi without any ambiguity underline the threat of India turning into an authoritarian state. Modi has turned so self-aggrandising that he is reluctant to stand up to his critics belonging to his party. He is on the drive to weed out such elements, though done behind the veneer of revitalising the party and honouring the stalwarts. What made Modi suddenly realise the importance of rehabilitation of the old leaders whom he had removed from the scene is intriguing. The fact cannot be obliterated that Nitish Kumar’s jolt has unnerved Modi and he has been using all kinds of machinations to boost his image and position. He has come to nurture the feeling that he is even superior to the RSS and he instead of taking calls from the RSS leaders could dictate them. Modi who already nursed egotism became more arrogant. He did not like to have any adversary even in his dreams. The latest move of dropping efficient union minister Nitin Gadkari and MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan from the Parliamentary Board of the party is a candid example.
In a major reshuffle ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP on Wednesday reconstituted its two top decision-making bodies, 11-member Parliamentary Board and 15-member Central Election Committee dropping Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Singh Chauhan, indicating their diminishing stock in the party. The omission of Gadkari from the powerful board signals a major generational and political shift in the highest echelons of the BJP in the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah era. Modi has sent a clear message that he was not willing to tolerate any kind of criticism of his leadership. Notably, Gadkari is also a former BJP chief and by this, he should have found a place on the board. The party keeps former presidents in the decision-making process. Gadkari is also known for his proximity to RSS, closer than Modi. The party made six new entries, including Punjab cadre IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura and Haryana leader Sudha Yadav, into the Parliamentary Board. Headed by president JP Nadda, the two panels include the who’s who of the BJP — Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home minister Amit Shah, Defence minister Rajnath Singh, and general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh.
Significantly former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal have also found a place in the new committees. The RSS leadership is beleaguered with the sense that BJP leadership has been trying to deny its inherent right to oversee the BJP’s morals and manners and it does not like drafting the senior RSS leaders into the BJP. The party leadership is pursuing its independent political line which is not approved by the RSS though it provides foot soldiers to ensure the victory of the BJP candidates in the elections. The feedback received from RSS cadres working at the ground level has been quite disappointing and it feels that the BJP is losing ground, though Modi is the only vote-getter.
