Modi out of BJP board, Jaitley loses job as party spokesman

Seeking to end speculation but giving rise to more talk almost immediately, BJP president Rajnath Singh today announced his new team, dropping Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi from the party’s parliamentary board, clipping the powers of Arun Jaitley by removing him as party spokesperson and shutting out organisation secretary Sanjay Joshi.

Rajnath Singh named Jaitley’s rival Yashwant Sinha as vice-president, Gopinath Munde as general secretary and brought in Ram Lal, a Sangh nominee close to him, as Joshi’s replacement.

Jaitley’s role will now be limited to that of secretary, central parliamentary board — it’s a position he has held since Pramod Mahajan’s death last year. Rajiv Pratap Rudy will replace Jaitley as the party’s national spokesperson.

That Singh has rewarded old friends was evident from the appointment of Ram Lal at a time when the party’s fortunes will be tested in several states — Punjab, UP, Uttaranchal, Manipur, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.