Hindu Right-Wingers Speak Out on Modi - Wall Street Journal
By Vibhuti Agarwal
Divisions among supporters of India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party over Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi seem to be getting deeper.
Differences came out in the open in sharply contrasting editorials that ran in a pro-BJP magazine and in several publications affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, an extreme right-wing Hindu group that traditionally endorses the BJP.
An article published in the latest issue of the “Organizer”, an English-language magazine run by the RSS, described Mr. Modi as “by far the most popular leader in the country” and the “most preferred prime ministerial choice of the people”.
Describing Mr. Modi as the “BJP’s mascot” for the national elections to be held in 2014, G.V.L Narasimha Rao, the article’s author, said he has the potential to catapult the party to power.
“Modi as the leader of the BJP would deliver huge gains to it in the battleground state of Uttar Pradesh,” argues Mr. Rao. “He would help the BJP cross a threshold level of vote share to start winning seats in states like Orissa and Haryana and improve vote share substantially in states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to make it an attractive pre-poll alliance partner.”
The BJP has deep-running ties with the RSS: many of the party’s leaders –including Nitin Gadkari, L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee – have their roots in the group. The RSS, which relies on an extensive grassroots network, wields considerable influence on the BJP’s policy agenda.
Mr. Rao’s views contrast with those published in the RSS’ Hindi weekly “Panchjanya”.
“Opponents of BJP get an opportunity to attack the party if such a popular leader [Modi] acquires an image of being intolerant who cannot take his colleagues along,” writes Devendra Swaroop in an editorial.
This appeared to be a reference to an episode that took place last week, when Mr. Modi refused to attend a meeting of senior BJP politicians in Mumbai over policy differences with fellow party member Sunil Joshi.
It was only after Mr. Joshi resigned as a member of the BJP’s executive body that Mr. Modi agreed to participate in the session, according to media reports.
“It is being felt that Modi needs to do a rethink about his style of functioning and organizational capabilities,” Mr. Swaroop wrote in the Panchjanya editorial.
The BJP magazine, “Kamal Sandesh” echoes similar views. Without explicitly naming Mr. Modi, author Prabhat Jha argues that the “BJP does not function on the basis of any individual’s contribution alone.”
“It is always seen that on reaching the top, even after knowing that a day will come when he has to come down, he tries to belittle the ones below him,” Mr. Jha writes.
BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar played down the articles saying “don’t make a story out of nothing.” He refused to comment on whether Mr. Modi will be the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate for the next general elections.
A major obstacle for Mr. Modi’s potential candidacy is that he does not enjoy the support of several key BJP politicians, including Mr. Advani and Sushma Swaraj.
The Gujarat riots are another major issue. While Mr. Modi has been hailed for his development efforts in Gujarat, his legacy has been tainted by the communal riots of 2002 in which over 1000 people died. Mr. Modi has been criticized for not doing enough to stop the violence, allegations he denies.
Political analyst Chintamani Mahapatra, professor at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University says “Modi might be the BJP’s popular face but the party will take a decision on him only after consultation with potential coalition partners.”
The RSS will likely play a big role in determining whether Mr. Modi could become the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. “Without the RSS’ backing, no candidate can do well,” says Mr. Mahapatra.
Do you think the BJP should choose Narendra Modi as its leader? Please share your views in the Comments section.
Modi, Joshi rivalry spills over to the streets of Ahmedabad - indiatoday.intoday.in
The war that had started in the late 1990s between the two pracharaks of the RSS is now playing out in Gujarat once again. And coming ahead of the crucial assembly election, the spectacle is only adding to the ongoing political circus.
In a guerilla-style attack on state BJP, in other words Narendra Modi, posters hailing his bete noire, Sanjay Joshi, were put up in several parts of Ahmedabad on Tuesday. The posters took potshots at the chief minister and his display of pettiness in seeking Joshi's resignation ahead of the BJP national executive, as well as subsequently barring him from travelling through Gujarat by train.
The posters didn't name Narendra Modi, but one of them said: "No one with a small heart becomes great or stands up with a broken one." The poster resurrected a half-a-decade old slogan, which was used by Joshi's supporters demanding his re-induction into the party. Another poster decried autocracy and asked whether it was the BJP's policy to seek resignation of one leader to appease another?
Interestingly, the posters also carried the lotus, the election symbol of the BJP.
When contacted, Joshi told Mail Today that he had no idea about who could have put up these posters. "But whosoever has done this cannot be a well-wisher of the BJP," he said.
Meanwhile, caught in an uncomfortable situation, the state BJP workers scampered for cover when asked about the posters.
The rivalry between Modi and Joshi dates back to the 1990s. Joshi, an RSS pracharak from Maharashtra had landed in Ahmedabad in the late 80s and worked with Modi for about five years in the state. Modi was the party general-secretary during that period.
BJP formed its first government in Gujarat in 1995 under the chief ministership of Keshubhai Patel and it was in the same year that the powerful Kshatriya leader Shankarsinh Vaghela staged a revolt, which led to the ouster of Modi from Gujarat. While BJP returned to power in 1998, Modi was desperate to return to Gujarat, but Joshi reportedly put a spanner in his plans.
While Modi got his way around and managed to return to Gujarat by upstaging Keshubhai in 2001, Joshi was moved to the centre by the party high-command as the party general-secretary. However, a sleaze CD allegedly featuring Joshi surfaced in 2005 just ahead of the silver jubilee celebration of BJP, which led to Joshi's resignation from the party. Investigations later concluded that the CD was fabricated.
After spending six years in political wilderness, Joshi was re-inducted into the party by BJP president Nitin Gadkari last year, which made Modi sulk. The Gujarat CM refrained from campaigning for the party in Uttar Pradesh, where Joshi was given the responsibility of managing the election, and it took nothing short of his resignation to make Modi attend the national executive of the party in Mumbai last month.
Gordhan Zadafia, the former Gujarat minister of state for home and president of MahaGujarat Janata Party (MJP), a splinter group of the BJP, explained the posters as an explosion of the sentiments of BJP workers in the state.
Redknapp must stay - Van Der Vaart - Football
Published: 05 Jun 2012 - 16:17:19
Tottenham playmaker Rafael van der Vaart admitted it was vital manager Harry Redknapp signs a new contract at White Hart Lane as he once again refused to rule out leaving the club himself.
Redknapp has just a year left on his current deal and has reportedly hired Wayne Rooney's agent, Paul Stretford, to negotiate an extension. Stretford and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy both have reputations for striking hard bargains and it remains to be seen what length of contract 65-year-old Redknapp will be offered.
Asked if it was crucial Redknapp signed on, van der Vaart said: "Yeah, I think so. He is doing a fantastic job, so I don't see any problems. I think he's going to sign a new contract - I hope so - and I think it's also good for every team when they have a manager who's there for many years. So I hope he stays."
The 29-year-old Dutchman's own future has been the subject of speculation in recent days, with the Holland international having been linked with Schalke.
Asked if there was any chance of him leaving north London, he said: "No, I don't think so. There's always interest. But I'm happy in England and I want to stay. In football, you never know, and that's what I wanted to say and nothing more."
Schalke would be able to offer Van der Vaart Champions League football - something denied to Spurs this season thanks to Chelsea's shock European Cup triumph.
Tottenham finished fourth in the Barclays Premier League - enough to qualify but for what transpired in the Champions League final. However, they were also well clear in third place before collapsing from February onwards.
Van der Vaart added: "I think we have the squad to be in the top three but, this season, I think we had a run of 10 games without winning. At the end of the day, we don't deserve to be in the Champions League."
As a consequence, Van der Vaart is just one of several Tottenham stars to have been linked with moves away this summer. The forward urged Spurs to strengthen for another assault on the top three next season, starting by signing on-loan Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor on a permanent deal.
"I hope he stays," Van der Vaart said. "He's really important - not because of his goals, but also his personality's great. It's going to be difficult to keep him but I hope we will."
Related Tottenham Hotspur News
RSS mouthpiece says Narendra Modi can lead BJP to victory in 2014 General Elections - indiatoday.intoday.in
The latest issue of Organiser says, "Narendra Modi can do in 2014 what Atal Bihari Vajpayee did in the 90s." The mouthpiece adds that Modi can widen the party's appeal and enhance its vote base.
The article in Panchajanya had criticised Modi's style of functioning and organisational capabilities. "The role of Narendra Modi in the Sanjay Joshi episode at BJP's national executive meeting in Mumbai is worth pondering over," the article had said.
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