RSS pulls up Modi for forcing Gadkari's hand - The Hindu
‘Issue of PM candidate should be considered only after 2014 polls'
Even as the factional feud and power struggle is raging within the BJP, the RSS has stepped in, questioning Narendra Modi's ‘style of functioning' and made it known that the issue of the party's prime ministerial candidate should be considered only after the 2014 general elections.
An article in the latest issue of the RSS mouthpiece, Panchajanya, leaves little doubt that the Sangh is not pleased with the manner in which the Gujarat Chief Minister forced BJP president Nitin Gadkari's hand to sack his arch-rival Sanjay Joshi from the national executive hours before the Mumbai conclave got under way last week.
Advani's criticism
Dissensions over Mr. Gadkari's leadership and Mr. Modi's “arm-twisting tactics” have come out in the open in recent days. Two days ago, veteran leader L.K. Advani, in his blog, criticised Mr. Gadkari's leadership and maintained that the people were disappointed with the BJP's failure to live up to their expectations. He called for introspection.
Several candidates
The article in Panchajanya has gone to the extent of saying there are several prime ministerial candidates in the BJP and that the issue should be decided only after the general elections.
“The role of Narendra Modi in the Sanjay Joshi episode at the BJP's national executive meeting is worth pondering over,” the article said. Mr. Modi, who had stayed away from the Delhi national executive, announced his decision to attend the Mumbai conclave only after Mr. Gadkari sacked his bete noire from the national executive.
It is a mystery why Mr. Modi, a staunch believer in the Sangh ideology, could not deal with his anger towards fellow RSS worker Joshi, the article said.
Misinformation
“By making the presence of Sanjay Joshi at the BJP national executive a prestige issue, why did he [Mr. Modi] give the media an opportunity to spread misinformation about the Sangh and BJP?”
Now, RSS mouthpiece cautions 'intolerant' Narendra Modi - Times of India
Referring to the "reports" about Modi not letting Joshi travel by train through Gujarat, RSS's in-house journal has cautioned the CM against coming off as an intolerant leader who had trouble taking his colleagues along.
"Whatever be the truth in reports, 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," a column in the Hindi weekly said.
The weekly column Manthan by Devendra Swarup, who is well-regarded in Sangh circles, is gushing in its praise for Modi's accomplishments, including how he has come out unscathed of the efforts, at the instance of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, to ensnare him in court cases and a plethora of SIT investigations. Yet the column — coming close on the heels of the dig at Modi in BJP's mouthpiece Kamal Sandesh — is bound to further roil the already troubled waters.
'Must review style of functioning'
The column criticizes the attempt by former Gujarat CMs Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta and other detractors of Modi to mobilize Patels along caste lines and alleges that they could have been incited by the Congress chief. However, it argues that the fact that these senior leaders had to resort to such means underscores the need for Modi to have a "relook at his style of functioning and organization capabilities".
Swarup suggests that Modi is not the obvious saffron choice for PM. "There is no doubt that besides the chief ministers of its states, many among BJP's central leaders also have the competence required of a Prime Minister," he said.
The veteran saffron columnist has also said that the BJP should refrain from naming its choice for PM before the parliamentary polls, thanks to its democratic organizational structure and can also counter Congress's "dynastic politics". "BJP's democratic organizational structure should be left for the members of the victorious parliamentary party. BJP should take such a principled stand in case it intends to make dynastic politics a campaign theme for the 2014 polls," Swarup contended.
On balance, however, his tone is that of concerned sympathizer of Modi than that of a critic. Swarup says that Gujarat under Modi has become an example of economic development and administrative competence, emphasizing that even Muslims are in the state are thriving. It also debunks the attempt of Keshubhai Patel and others to mount a fresh challenge to the Gujarat CM, saying that it could be part of a fresh plot to destabilize the state government after the failure of other machinations to trap Modi.
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