Vajpayee tells Mahajan to play it cool

It is said that Mahajan, who has shot his off mouth and tread on many a toe in recent weeks, may be given a Rajya Sabha ticket from Maharashtra in the forthcoming elections to the Upper House and also be inducted in the Union Cabinet.

His daily press meet began when mediapersons requested Mahajan, who had become inaccessible after becoming the Prime Minister’s political advisor, to give them an informal background briefings. These briefings, however, grew to be "on-the-record" affairs particularly after the nuclear blasts.

In the last few weeks, Mahajan has usurped the functions of the party spokesmen, government and the External Affairs Ministry, in theprocess committing more than a faux pas. His words "Ulta chor kotwal ko dantae" referring to China can be identified with former prime minister’s Rajiv Gandhi’s favourite quote used for Pakistan "Unko naani yaad dila daenge".

Pramod Mahajan’s words referring to China were uttered in response to the northern neighbour accusing India of holding onto its territory. While Mahajan’s words increased China’s anger, the language made Indian diplomats squirm in their seats. The genesis of the problem also lies in his appointment as political advisor to the PM, a position not provided for in the Constitution.

There is no precedent for a Prime Minister’s political advisor in our parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister himself is country’s highest political authority and the post of an advisor to him seems incongruous. But, Mahajan’s political rise has been meteoric. A go-getter, Mahajan grew to be a good speaker in the Rajya Sabha. He came close to Advani during his rath yatra and became the partygeneral secretary. A man of organisation and a fund raiser for the BJP, Mahajan is backed by powerful industrial houses. He is good at managing contradictions and was a link between the Shiv Sena and the BJP in Maharashtra.

He was made political advisor to do some trouble shooting for Vajpayee with the BJP’s allies and that is why he is accepted.