Something strange is happening in the BJP and in the Modi government. It is not easy to decipher, but it is worth analysing. Ever since Modi became the supreme leader of the BJP, nothing happens without him, and nothing can be done without his consent. Yet, of late, a few things within the government and the BJP have no explanation. BJP leaders did not tire of proudly proclaiming that, after Modi took charge of the country, no scam occurred in the government and no resignation followed. Unlike the Manmohan Singh cabinet, in which scam after scam burst the myth of governance and Manmohan Singh was accused of presiding over the most corrupt government since independence, the Modi government has not faced serious corruption charges, and, in fact, no minister has resigned. But now it seems that things are slipping, and at least four instances can be cited that must have shaken the confidence of a BJP worker on the ground.
The first one was the Ram Mandir donation theft. It is not directly linked to the Modi government or the BJP but is related to the larger Sangh Parivar. The association of the Ram Mandir is so interlinked with the party that it can’t wriggle out of the crisis, and the same can be said for the prime minister, too.
Second, I was greatly surprised when the Indian Express ran a big story about the alleged land scam involving the MP Chief Minister, Mohan Yadav, and his family. Surprisingly, no follow-up story was done, yet the story was big enough to tarnish the CM's image.
The third was a story that directly linked a minister in the Modi government named Bhagirath Chaudhary. He was accused of availing a 99-lakh rupee subsidy from his own ministry—the agriculture ministry.
Fourth, the Indian Express once again carried a story about the termination of the appointments of two officers in the office of powerful minister Bhupendra Yadav. Two other officers were sent back to their original cadre as a mark of punishment. There were all kinds of speculations, but no explanation was offered, and neither did the minister concerned speak on the subject.
Two other incidents also happened at the same time. One, a very senior leader of MP, once a claimant to the top job in Madhya Pradesh, Narrottam Mishra, was denied a ticket in his own home ground, the Datia Assembly constituency. He was so sure of his ticket that he had started campaigning in the constituency a month before. A new, young BJP leader was given the ticket. Narrottam Mishra tried every trick in the book but could not convince top leaders to change their preference.
Second, a BJP candidate, Abhishek Kumar, withdrew his nomination in the Bankipur assembly constituency in Bihar. This seat was vacated by the party president, Nitin Nabin. Abhishek was considered Nitin’s preferred choice, but at the last minute, he was asked to withdraw, and a new candidate, Niraj Kumar, filed his nomination.
If one connects all six incidents, a pattern emerges. Some kind of turmoil is taking place in the party and the government, and these incidents reflect that. Since Modi became the prime minister, he has been credited with strong control over the party and the government, and if these alleged scams and stories are making the front pages of newspapers, then something is amiss. The big question is: Is the control missing? I don’t want to believe that control is the issue. Because those who know the Prime Minister know this can’t be the case. Then the next question is, why has this happened? That, too, in such a short time?
To answer these questions, I will go back to the column of a senior journalist known for his proximity to the establishment and the Sangh Parivar, AV Surya Prakash. He wrote in the Indian Express, “Twelve years is a long time in the government; time has come for a ‘Kamraj Plan’ to rejuvenate the party and the government.” Though it is next to impossible to guess what is in the Prime Minister’s mind, the incidents mentioned above are not ordinary ones.
There is no doubt that a kind of fatigue has set in, and if the BJP has to scale new heights and continue occupying pole position in Indian politics, then something has to be done to shake off the inertia. The party and the government are caught in a whirlpool of crises, ranging from foreign policy to NEET leaks to the Ram Mandir theft. The issues of joblessness and price rises are getting out of hand, and if not addressed soon, they might create a serious problem for the government. Five assembly elections are round the corner, and the BJP is faced with the challenge of saving its governments in at least three—UP, Uttarakhand, and Goa.
Modi is known for out-of-the-box solutions. In the past twelve years, he has taken a few steps that have surprised everyone. He has picked leaders like Bhupendra Patel, Pushkar Dhami, Bhajan Lal Sharma, Mohan Charan Manjhi, Vishnu Dev Sai, and Mohan Yadav and made them chief ministers. He had the audacity to appoint Nitin Nabin as the party chief, ignoring claims by senior leaders like Bhupendra Yadav and Dharmendra Pradhan. Has the time come for a major shake-up in the party and in the government? Has the Prime Minister decided on another generational shift? Is he looking for fresh talent with fresh ideas?
Is the Narottam Mishra case a message to the BJP that nobody should take the party for granted? And entitlement is not a privilege because of seniority? Then the message was also for the party president that the big boss is watching, and even a small mistake is not ignored.
Is the Narottam Mishra episode a message to seniors to pack their bags? And a change of candidate chosen by the party president is a hint that no one should take their job lightly? The most likely explanation is that the Prime Minister is worried and that something big is in the pipeline. And these are just indications. Who knows? Modi hai to mumkin hai.
The writer is Co-Founder, SatyaHindi.com, and author of Hindu Rashtra. He tweets at @ashutosh83B
