BJP pitting Varun to counter the Rahul effect

The way in which Congress MP and General Secretary Rahul Gandhi is making waves all over the country, especially in the crucial State of Uttar Pradesh, has caused alarm in the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party.

There has been lot of response among the new generation of voters in twenties, who find Rahul’s no-nonsense approach to politics impressive. Though there is a change of guard in the BJP with the exit of L.K. Advani and Rajnath Singh who have been replaced by Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari, the party still lacks a youth face.

The name of ndhi, son of Maneka Gandhi, is making the rounds in this context in BJP circles. Though initially the BJP tried to distance itself from Varun’s vitriolic attacks during the 2009 Lok Sabha election campaign against Muslims, the parent body, the RSS seems to have nudged the BJP leadership to adopt him as the youth icon to counter the “Rahul effect.”

The three-day BJP conclave currently on in Indore, gave a clear indication to the effect that Varun Gandhi is desperately trying to project himself. On the way from the airport to the city, many taxis could be seen carrying Varun’s posters — wearing a fiery saffron pare (turban) and proclaiming him as Vartman ki Awaz, Bhavishya ka agaaz, Yuva hriday Samrat Varun Gandhi (The voice of the present, the hope of the future, conqueror of the hearts of the youth, Varun Gandhi). The posters seem to have been designed to reinforce the buzz that he is trying to become president of the BJP youth wing, Yuva Morcha. How this will play out remains to be seen.
Party president Nitin Gadkari has let it be known that he hopes to reorganise his team of office-bearers and other party committees and morchas by mid-March, when the ongoing organisational elections will also be completed.

Meanwhile, bringing to the fore yet again the party's pet issue, Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the Ram temple in Ayodhya is its soul and appealed to the Muslims to adopt a "generous" attitude by giving up their claim on the disputed site. In his presidential address at the opening of the two-day National Council, he also spoke on issues seeking to broadbase support for the party like wooing Dalits and minorities and the need to instill a new work culture in the organisation without resorting to sycophancy.

Leaving no one in doubt about the party's stand on issues like Ayodhya and alleged minority appeasement, 52-year-old Gadkari, the RSS choice for the post, said "the BJP stands fully committed to the construction of a grand temple in Ayodhya". "Today, I appeal to the Muslim community to be generous towards the sentiments and feelings of Hindus and facilitate the construction of a grand Ram temple. If you (Muslims) give up your claim on the land at the disputed site, we will cooperate in the construction of a magnificent masjid in a nearby land," he said. Gadkari's remarks are seen as a new attempt by the BJP to revive the Ram Janmabhoomi issue while at the same time making a bid to co-opt the minorities.

The opening session also saw the former President Rajnath Singh apologising to partymen for any wrong decisions taken during his term that witnessed bitter infighting among middle-rung leaders, especially after the Lok Sabha debacle last year.

Gadkari was scathing in his criticism of the Government on its alleged attempts at minority appeasement. He, however, said it was wrong to say that the BJP was against Muslims. If it was so, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani would not have made A P J Abdul Kalam the nation's President.

Apparently referring to AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh's visit to Azamgarh, he said that "some Congress leaders have converted suspected dens of terrorists as places of political pilgrimage. Repeated visits of politicians to those areas have emboldened the enemies of the nation". It may be mentioned that after Digvijays’s controversial visit durin which he made remarks doubting the encounter version of the police at Batla House, Okhla in New Delhi.

Preparing his party for a long haul, Gadkari spoke of plans to raise the party's vote share by 10 per cent and appealed to partymen to reach out to the under-privileged sections, such as the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities in a "big way".

Gadkari also sought to bring a new work culture in the organisation by telling partymen to desist from sycophancy, assuring them that performance will be rewarded and sending a clear signal that the leadership will have "zero tolerance to indiscipline". "Let us strive collectively to overcome the recent temporary setback and bounce back with renewed vigour," he said.

The reference to "temporary setback" was obviously to the defeat of the party in the Lok Sabha elections last year for the second time after 2004.

"If you deserve it you will get it. I have become the party chief without visiting the residences of party leaders or spending on bouquets, garlands or cutouts," Gadkari said.

Gadkari on Wednesday warned party workers that they could not hope to climb the political ladder even as they hit out at others. In a strongly worded message to his colleagues, at the National Executive Committee meeting, Gadkari said one should not try to gain something for oneself at the expense of others. While trying to get something for oneself, one should never attempt to put down a colleague. Apni rekha badi karo, doosron ki choti nahin.

With the recent Pune terrorist strike and naxal violence in West Bengal as reference points, Gadkari focused on security, talking about the “red corridor” from Pashupatinath in Nepal to Tirupati in south India. Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani strongly endorsed Nitin Gadkari as one of the most meritorious party presidents the Bharatiya Janata Party has had.

- Asian Tribune -