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Journalism of Courage
The recent rebellion in the Bihar BJP might have been triggered by the reshuffle in Nitish Kumar’s Cabinet but it all blew up in the face of Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi—an OBC leader who had emerged “all powerful” in the upper caste-dominated saffron party.
Modi was the BJP’s OBC card and the party’s answer to Lalu Yadav in a “Mandalised” Bihar—much to the annoyance of the upper caste lobby. What triggered the rebellion against Modi was the dropping of Chandramohan Rai, an upper caste leader, from Nitish Kumar’s Cabinet.
It’s obvious that the anger against Modi has its source somewhere else as rebels continued to gun for him even after he clarified that BJP ministers were dropped and their portfolios reshuffled with the consent of the central leadership.
On Sunday, BJP MLA Nityanand Rai, the latest to join the rebel group, demanded the ouster of Modi as the leader of the party’s legislature party. “Modi is responsible for the crisis in the party. He is operating like a dictator and should be removed immediately,” declared Rai. Leaders opposed to Modi are accusing him of “destroying” the state party. Though Rai is an OBC, he like some other backward caste leaders, has joined the anti-Modi bandwagon, annoyed over being denied a cabinet berth.
The central leadership initially tried to diffuse the crisis through a studied silence that embarrassed Modi. Modi, however, shifted the onus on the central leadership by declaring that the entire cabinet exercise had the central party’s consent. “Everything was done in consultation with the central leadership and I had kept them informed about every move,” Modi said.
Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar too made it clear that the cabinet reshuffle was undertaken in consultation with the leaders of the coalition partners, JD(U) and BJP. “No single leader is responsible for the dropping of ministers or change of portfolios. It was done with the consent of leaders of both sides,” Kumar declared.
Modi suits Kumar, an OBC himself, well as he is junior enough to remain in his shadow. But BJP rebels are using this “meek” image of their leader to target him. Those opposed to Modi feel the BJP should have a leader who is in a position to assert. “The JD(U) is walking away with all the credit for good governance and development. The BJP is not even recognised. If things are allowed to continue like this, then the BJP will meet the same fate as the Congress in the state,” said a top BJP leader.
Though the crisis is likely to be over, as the central leadership has summoned the rebel BJP leaders to Delhi, the simmering ire against Modi is here to stay in the state party.
