All Is Not Well Between Gadkari and BJP ?

Nitin Gadkari, a minister for the Union of India, made a stir in the city one month ago when he said that he often had the urge to “leave politics” because he thinks “there’s more to life.” This statement generated quite a stir.

Earlier, he had said, “Donors chase after political parties and are eager to donate whatever is requested.” He was speaking at a different gathering. Because I am not the president of the party, there is no room for transactions of this kind. It seemed as if he was trying to indicate something indirectly.

Immediate Effect:

Three weeks later, the city MP was removed from the BJP’s Parliamentary Board and the Central Election Committee (CEC) in a major rejig that saw the inclusion of many new faces, including Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The rejig was part of a larger reorganization that took place in the BJP.

According to political commentators, the recent move seems to point to a conflict between Gadkari and the power pair consisting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

In addition to this, it suggests that the power dynamics inside the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are shifting (RSS). They think that the assumption that Gadkari is supported by RSS because he is headquartered in Nagpur may no longer be valid.

Reactions:

Leaders congratulated Fadnavis on his promotion and argued that it was in keeping with what was to be anticipated given his previous successes. They cite the construction of the party administration in Maharashtra by displacing MVA, gaining the Rajya Sabha and legislative council seats under unfavorable conditions, and assisting the party in securing a majority in Goa by prevailing over anti-incumbency as examples.

At the same time, many are seeing the so-called “demotion” of Gadkari as an attempt to bring down his prominence.

According to the opinions of the analysts, such a choice cannot be made without first consulting with Sangh Parivar. As Gadkari makes his home in Nagpur, he is apparently in constant contact with the leadership of the RSS. However, as Dattatray Hosabale assumed his position as sarkaryavah, things started to change for the better. Although Mohan Bhagwat has the position of sarsanghchalak (leader), the sarkaryavah is the one who makes the most important decisions.

If Gadkari had to choose between Hosabale and Bhaiyaji (Suresh) Joshi, he should have gone with Joshi. This latter individual is reported to have a close relationship with Modi. According to what was mentioned, “Today, there is little probability that the RSS will attempt to reject the suggestion to remove Gadkari.”

It is alleged that Gadkari supported Joshi at the RSS triennial meet in 2018, which resulted in his being granted another three years in office. Although Joshi spent some time in Nagpur during his term as Sarkayavaha, Hosabale has not yet relocated his headquarters here.

According to officials of the BJP, Gadkari also positioned himself as an independent leader rather than crediting his achievements to Modi like the others, which is one of the reasons why the heavyweight minister was removed from his position. However, they said that nobody knows what went down amongst the top three leaders, who are Modi, Shah, and Jai Prakash Nadda, the head of the BJP.

Reports On Future:

Gadkari is claimed to have simply accepted his destiny after being informed of his removal from the panels a couple of weeks ago, according to the leaders who said that he had been informed of his removal from the panels. This is not the first time that the minister who had the best performance has been demoted. After being accused of financial misdeeds and evading income taxes, he was not allowed a second term as president of the BJP and thus lost his position.

In 2019, when he took the oath of office for the second time, the shipping, water resources, and river development ministries that he had held in the past were taken away from him. He was given responsibility for the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME), but only one year ago, that portfolio was also transferred to Narayan Rane, a former leader of both the Shiv Sena and the Congress.

Gadkari was demoted and Fadnavis was handed control in 2014, even though it was widely anticipated that he would become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra after the BJP’s victory in the assembly elections. However, officials of the BJP have said that despite Gadkari’s great performance, he would continue to serve as a minister but will not be involved in the party’s decision-making processes.

Gadkari’s views are often understood as an indictment of the BJP at the Centre along with the rest of the political elite, which is another factor that contributed to his removal from office along with his popularity, especially among some people in the opposition camp. It has been learned that when Gadkari commented that “politics had become power play” at the meeting in which he announced his intention to leave politics, his remarks were not well received by the top leadership.

In 2019, Gadkari spoke these words while speaking at an ABVP event: “One who cannot take care of his family, cannot run the nation.” The comment was intended to be a veiled dig at Modi. Later on, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi praised Gadkari by saying that he was the only minister who had the courage, to tell the truth against Modi. Gandhi claimed that Gadkari was the only minister who had the guts to speak the truth against Modi.

Additionally, public praise was heaped upon the minister by the TRS and other opposition parties for his work on constructing a network of national roadways. In 2019, the president of the Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, was among many who praised him for his laudable effort in constructing the nation’s infrastructure.

Conclusion:

However, a few BJP officials from the city have said that the decision to eliminate senior members such as Gadkari and MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is not shocking since the Modi-Shah tandem is establishing a team for the future that will serve the party for the next twenty years. It was precisely for this reason that they included relatively youthful faces like Fadnavis and the former chief minister of Assam, Sarbanand Sonowal.

They are placing more of an emphasis on leaders in the age range of 50 to 65 as opposed to those in the age range of 65 to 80. We see it as a normal progression of events. Additionally, it is consistent with the philosophy of the party. Because of the age problem, even veteran politicians like LK Advani were requested to leave their positions. They are choosing people who are still relatively young to hold leadership positions to train them for the future,” they stated.