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Though the BJP brought Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi back to the Parliamentary Board, the decision may prove an obstacle to the party’s efforts to broaden the National Democratic Alliance.
Party veteran and NDA working chairman L.K. Advani has been suggesting “NDA Plus” for defeating the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in the next general elections. He was also apparently reluctant to give a free run to Modi.
Advani was in favour of bringing Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan to the top decision making bodies, in an effort to give a message that the party was not Modi-centric.
RSS stamp
The stamp of RSS was apparent in the reshuffle of the organisational posts in the BJP and Modi, along with some of his confidantes, got key posts in the party organisation.
The RSS’s tightening of its grips over the BJP and Modi’s elevation may put pressure on the possible allies of the NDA. Though parties like Trinamool Congress and the DMK have walked out of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, they are not very keen to support Modi for the top post.
Trinamool Congress insiders say that walking out of the NDA after the Gujarat riots had helped the party to build a base among the minorities in West Bengal. The NDA’s second largest partner, JD(U), has also been arguing that the Prime Ministerial candidate of the NDA should be secular person.
Parties such as AIADMK, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Biju Janata Dal and Telugu Desam party are trying to fight the elections independently.
They feel that both the Congress and the BJP are on a weak footing and contesting the polls without aligning either the UPA or the NDA may fetch better results.
Hung Parliament
This may also improve their capacity to call the shots in the event of a hung Parliament after the general elections. All these parties were cautious to comment about the organisational reshuffle in the BJP.
The Congress has adopted a wait and watch policy. When asked to comment on Modi’s elevation, the Congress spokesperson, Renuka Chowdhury, said the party does not know whether it’s elevation, promotion, demotion, deviation, or dilution.
“We have no idea. We have no opinion. We are not concerned. It is their internal matter,” she added.
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