The real political drama within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) all set to take reins of the next government is yet to begin. The buzzword is that it has a lot to do with who is actually going to be the next prime minister, if BJP emerges as the leading party in the parliamentary elections. BJP President Rajnath Singh has selected Lucknow, capital city of Uttar Pradesh (UP), with the aim of stepping into the shoes of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. As a parliamentarian for more than four decades, Vajpayee won from Lucknow in Lok Sabha polls held in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. In 2009, he retired from active politics due to health issues.
It is an open secret that Singh is hoping to be the prime ministerial candidate with the blessings of his own party and its allies. The anti-Modi factions are propagating astrological predictions, according to which, chances of Modi becoming the next premier are slim.
Politically pleased that stars are not favoring Modi, Singh is readying himself for the job. Earlier this week, a tweet from him indirectly played the role of conveying this message. For around 30 minutes, Rajnath Singh remained the BJP’s poster boy and not Modi. The tweet said, “Time for change, Time for BJP.” It did not read, “Time for Modi.” The tweet was withdrawn and clarifications were issued. A source also said that the controversial tweet was not meant for the public. It was only for Singh’s close circle. Of course, the hidden message carried by the latter clarification cannot be missed.
Singh (an upper caste Hindu) is well aware that prospects of BJP securing a majority in the Parliament on its own strength and acceptance of Modi as the prime minister are low. Notwithstanding all the hype created about Modi being the ideal leader for BJP government, certain points cannot be ignored. One is that upper caste Hindus within BJP are not likely to accept Modi as a prime minister as he belongs to OBC (Other Backward Classes). Secondly, even if BJP emerges as the leading party, it will not be able to head the next government without the support of its allies. It may be recalled, a secular ally of BJP, Janata Dal-United (JD-U) parted ways with it over selection of Modi as its prime ministerial nominee. The same drama is likely to be repeated at a larger scale in a few weeks from now. Faced with opposition from several parties, BJP may have no option but to withdraw Modi’s name as its prime ministerial candidate and select someone else from the party. Singh is preparing himself to play that role.
If BJP had not agreed to the demand of its secular allies to put its Hindutva agenda on the back burner — that of converting India into a Hindu state — it may not have been able to head the coalition government, National Democratic Alliance (NDA), from 1998 to 2004. Howsoever emphatically Modi may talk about his “secular” agenda; his name still remains linked to the Gujarat carnage (2002). It is feared that under Modi’s leadership, secularism may be overshadowed by communalism. To deflate these notions and not lose the chance of assuming power, BJP leaders may have to compel Modi to backtrack from taking over as the prime minister.
This also explains manipulative politics being played with the BJP. For Singh, presence of senior party leaders poses a threat to his plans of becoming the prime minister. Thus, while senior leaders are being either forced to quit party or sidelined, new members are being welcomed in a grand manner. At present, only Modi’s name is being promoted as the next prime minister. But as Modi may have to step back, Singh has readied the stage for himself. New members, without much of a standing or base in BJP, have deliberately been welcomed to enhance Singh’s own position within the party. The political drama going on within BJP at present is just a trailer to a greater drama set to unfold in a few weeks from now.
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