Postings boost Modi, signal blow for Uma

The appointments signal a boost for Narendra Modi and a setback for Uma Bharati.

Shivraj Singh Chauhan, an upcoming OBC leader and long term challenger to Uma Bharati’s claim to that mantle, is a known critic of the rebel sanyasin. The appointment of Kailash Joshi as prabhari of Madhya Pradesh and the continuation of Arun Jaitley as general secretary in charge of the state are part of a package deal to contain the damage caused by Bharati’s rebellion , sources said.

None of the three men has much time for the former chief minister’s “tantrums’’ and have been appointed to show that the party is not willing to “pamper’’ her anymore, sources said.

The appointment of Vala, once a close associate of Keshubhai Patel but now seen as a Modi loyalist, confirms that party chief L.K.Advani continues to fully back Modi despite the widespread dissidence against his ’’autocratic style of functioning’’, sources said.

The promotion of Om Mathur to the post of general secretary is also a victory for Modi. As national secretary in charge of Gujarat, Mathur dealt with dissidence in the state. Dissident leaders, however, were far from satisfied with his handling of their grievances and his promotion — along with Vala’s appointment — indicates that the “truce’’ in the state could be temporary.

Today’s appointments mark the beginning of an organisational revamp in the party, sources said. With the end of the Budget Session of Parliament, party leaders will now concentrate on organisational matters.

With that in mind, a two day workshop of BJP spokespersons from across the country will be held in the central headquarters from tomorrow.

The BJP’s most media-savvy leaders such as Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj will give “lectures’’ to over a hundred party media functionaries on how to project the party’s views, how to raise issues in Parliament and assemblies, and the ways to use modern communication technology, national media convener Siddharta Singh said. The workshop will conclude with BJP president L.K Advani’s address on Sunday.