BJP ignores rebels, focuses on Congress

•“L K Advani is ‘Dhritrashtra’ and Modi is ‘Duryodhan’. Modi is the main accused in the Godhra carnage, Akshardham attack and Haren Pandya murder case. There is mafia raj prevailing in the BJP.”

•“We have chosen not to become Modi’s pet animals, but to live as lions. He has murdered democracy in broad daylight”

These words are not from the Opposition Congress, but quotes from the BJP rebels, former colleagues of the Gujarat Chief Minister. It is a bizarre political scenario in Gujarat. Even as rebels are publicly pounding the Modi regime day in and day out, the BJP leadership refuses to take action against most of the dissident leaders. Indeed, most of them continue to be officially part of the BJP.

Former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, who is comparing Modi to Hitler, is a permanent invitee to the BJP’s national executive. So is another former chief minister, Suresh Mehta, who is openly asking people to defeat the BJP in the forthcoming elections. Somabhai Patel and Vallabhbhai Kathiria continue to be members of the BJP parliamentary party.

All these people have been openly criticising the BJP leadership for a very long time. In fact, the rebels openly attacked Modi almost three months ago. Yet the party is trying to ignore their revolt. Why? Chief Minister Narendra Modi says it is part of the BJP’s “strategy”. What is this strategy?

Explains State BJP spokesperson Vijay Rupani, who is considered close to Modi: “Our main fight is against the Congress. The rebels simply do not matter. And by ignoring them during the past couple of months, we have already pushed them to the brink of nothingness.” Adds state BJP chief Purushottam Rupala: “If they continue to work against the interest of the party even while being part of it, it will generate public opinion against them.”

But, what is happening in Gujarat today is nothing short of an open revolt. Keshubhai’s son has announced that he will contest as an Independent. The dissident rub shoulders with Congress leaders at public functions, where Modi is the favourite target of attack.

The BJP leadership is acting as if the rebels do not exist. Not only is there no action against the dissidents, the party leadership often goes out of its way to appease top rebels like Keshubhai. Four days before Dussehra, Modi made an unscheduled and unannounced visit on his bete noire, purportedly to inquire about Keshubhai’s health as the latter was suffering from fever.

The gesture was apparently lost. On Dussehra, Keshubhai attended a function to felicitate Gordhan Zadaphia, Modi’s former Home Minister, who is now the ringleader of the rebels, describing him as the “future leader of our state”. The veteran leader, who is feeling sidelined ever since Modi came to power six years ago, also said: “As the time is running out for Ravan dahan (burning of effigy of Ravan), we should not take too much time in burning it. Ravans should be killed immediately.”

Last week, the former Chief Minister attended a function organised by Zadaphia, who had quit the BJP by then, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, the new mascot of the rebels. Sharing the dais with the Congress and rebels, he made a not so veiled dig at Modi, whose supporters describe him as “chhote Sardar”. “Be cautious of people who go around wearing the mask of Sardar”.

The mouthpiece of the Gujarat Government, Gujarat, recently printed a cartoon that gives an insight into the minds of the Modi establishment. The cartoon showed an elephant walking through a city centre even as some dogs bark around it.

The dissidents, on their part, are also in no hurry to quit the party. Says Somabhai Patel: “Why should I quit the party I helped build? If they want, they can take action.”

Retorts Rupani: “They want us to expel them. We are not doing that because it will send a wrong message.” What wrong message? “That rebels matter.” Apparently both sides are waiting to see who will blink first.