Monday, August 10, 2015

Anger brewing in the BJP but Narendra Modi managing well

Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP’s Narendra Modi has finally got a big boost after Telugu Desam Party or TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu decided to join the Saffron alliance (read NDA) after almost a decade but is anger brewing within the BJP?

Now, it is almost rest assured that the BJP and allies would cross the magic 272-seats mark.

But there is reason to worry on one front: Though not out into the open yet, an internal feud seems to be brewing. 

With Modi at the helm and disgruntled LK Advani not getting his preferred seat (Bhopal and instead getting Gandhinagar), the possibility of a rebellion in the middle term could rock Modi’s government (that is, if he forms the government at the Centre).

Another man who doesn’t seem happy with Modi’s leadership is Murli Manohar Joshi. Joshi had to vacate the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for Modi. Also, Sushma Swaraj and Uma Bharti could be spur a rebellion, since even they haven’t come to terms with Advani being relegated to number two.

So, Modi’s job, after he becomes Prime Minister (if at all), could be to walk the tightrope on a double-edged sword (with allies like Shiv Sena, TDP and Akali Dal on one hand) and disgruntled leaders of the Saffron party on the other.

Keeping this pack intact, Modi would have to introduce sweeping reforms to lift the economy – by bringing in foreign investors, tame prices, inflation and spur the stock markets as well as the growth rate.

Despite the possibility of a rift within quarters, we must also realise that the BJP is the offshoot of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is a structured outfit (similar to the CPM, which is a cadre-based party).

And, we have seen that the bonding among these parties is strong as power centres are decentralised (with regional leaders being allowed to take certain decisions) and this boosts the morale of workers. 

This is unlike a one-leader party like the BSP in UP, the Trinamool in Bengal or the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu where the supreme leader is the decision maker.

But if any kind of a rebellion comes to the fore prior to the general elections, this could give the opposition parties a chance to cash in and say that if the BJP can’t keep its own flock together, how can it manage the grand NDA alliance?

So for now, Modi, despite having his way (after getting the green light from Rajnath Singh, BJP chief), he has managed his rebels deftly. For instance, at all BJP’s key meetings, he has kept Advani (his mentor as well as main rebel) by his side, not giving the latter a chance to show his anger. 

So, Modi seems to be fire fighting quite well. With the BJP close to the magic-figure mark (by inducting a new ally – the TDP), it cannot afford a rebel-like situation within before the elections, but it seems that Narendra Modi is managing his flock well.

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