(GNS, Harshad Kamdar) Dt. 11
The Hindutva-brand of politics in the country is gradually becoming Modi-centric rather it has become so with every other player being marginalized with latest being the Shiv Sena, with whom the BJP not only contested the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections recently but had been in the government on several occasions. Besides that there is a long list of leaders and party in the so-called greater Hindutva umbrella who is either sidelined or humiliated forcing them to part ways or remain in the party in oblivion.
Sources said that this is the Modi style of working that had started with Gujarat when he made former chief minister Keshu Bhai Patel, former state BJP president and Lok Sabha MP Rajendra (Raju) Rana, another former chief minister and Union minister Shanker Sinh Vaghela, former VHP international president Praveen Togadia and his friend-turned-foe and former organizing secretary of the BJP Sanjay Bhai Joshi not only irrelevant but many of them untouchables for the mainstream in many ways. They all had not only good control over ideology but workers as well with Hindutva at the core.
Sidheshwar Pd Shukla, a political analyst, says, “This is what is Modi is known for. Right from the time of his chief ministership to his present position, he did not allow any dissenting voice to grow but also did not allow a potent threat to his authority.” In the name of 75+ criterion, all the senior leaders and a few original Hindutva icons like Lal Krishna Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi have been asked to sit at home and even leader like Uma Bharati and Vinay Katiyar too have been denied tickets despite them being below 75. “What about leaders like Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh who are former party president and known for their proximity with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)? Do they have any say in the government? Asks a agrived party worker.
The RSS, which is once dubbed to be ideological mentor of the BJP is not as important as they don’t have much say in the government decision making. With issues like Article 370 abrogated, decision on Ram Temple and Muslim appeasement, they are gradually becoming redundant in certain arenas. Sources said that there is role reversal in the RSS-BJP, earlier RSS used to dictate the government to follow their term and who can forget Swadeshi Jagran Manch making things difficult for the Vajpayee government but now the BJP (Modi-Shah) asking the RSS to follow the instruction. The latest example was that the RSS took the lead in initiating dialogue with Muslim leaders in the pre-verdict scenario of the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri mosque dispute. They were asked to manage people so peace is not affected.
Another political analyst declining to be named said that this is actually weakening the Hindutva ideology and leadership as such with leadership and organizational structure vanishing.
The BJP and Shiv Sena have split for all practical purposes as the later accuses the former for cheating upon for not respecting the promises as the BJP fielded alliance candidates on its symbol and now they are denying half tenure of chief ministership to the SS. These are such issues that could have and should have been solved between the old allies but inflated egos of the people at the helm are not only harming the leaders but Hindutva as such.
