India Inc casts its vote

This was only to be expected. Ambani was also known as part of the Triple “A” troika — the other two members being Amar Singh and Amitabh Bachchan — and also made it to the Rajya Sabha for a brief stint. Sunil Bharati Mittal,who recently made common cause with Rahul Bajaj and argued for the BJP and the Congress to work together in national interest,when top industrialists recently met Advani to discuss the global economic meltdown. So were the industrialists,then,echoing what Rahul Bajaj had once famously said: “You are stupid if you don’t invest in Gujarat.”

Even when Modi got the biggest endorsement of his career,the party was abuzz with theories on his “silence”,speculating that he could have used the occasion to announce that the issue was irrelevant once L K Advani had been chosen as the party’s unequivocal,undisputed choice to lead the BJP-led NDA in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections”. Party general secretary Arun Jaitley argued that Modi’s endorsement was a matter of pride for the entire BJP,and Modi stood solidly behind Advani.

Unsurprisingly,conspiracy theories abound. While some have been quick to point out that the dynamic between the two leaders is like that between the father-son duo of Farooq and Omar Abdullah,others have pointedly noted that it took a tad too long to “clear the air”. However,more likely is that this and a host of other related issues have more to do with positioning and posturing among second-rung leaders in the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

With Rajnath having entered the last year of his term as the party president,and Modi having captured the imagination of the BJP voter like no one else,who will call the shots in the BJP,post-elections?

Consider this: When Ambani quoted his late father Dhirubhai Ambani as saying,“Modi lambi race ka ghoda hai (Modi will go a long way),” he was only echoing what Advani has long held in the party. When Advani visited Ahmedabad on January 10,he cited CPM leader Abdullakutty ‘s statements to argue how the “Gujarat model of governance” had found favour with all shades of opinion,including the Left.

Ever since Advani addressed the press in the Capital,with Modi in tow,last September,the BJP has been abuzz with stories on a bigger role for the Gujarat Chief Minister.

Advani’s firm belief in the “Gujarat model of governance” has ensured that Modi’s imprint would be all too visible in the BJP’s Mission 2009 — be it candidate selection,micro-management of elections,the poll planks of security and good governance,not to speak of Modi as a star campaigner. Advani may go a step further when the election campaign gains momentum in the next few weeks. He may even announce that he would like Modi to assist him,were a BJP-led government to be formed at the Centre.

While Modi has caught the imagination of the BJP’s core constituency,industry and a section of thought leaders,his detractors argue that his campaign couldn’t get the BJP even seats like Bishnah,the hub of the Amarnath agitation. And then of course are the riots of 2002 in Gujarat,which are viewed by even BJP allies as a major stain on Modi’s track record and India’s secular fabric.

A Modi supporter in the BJP,however,argued: “After Ratan Tata,Modi has won the approval of industry captains like Ambani and Mittal. Even if one-third of the MoUs signed during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit are implemented during these times of global recession,Modi would have settled the succession debate not only in the BJP but also in middle India,once and for all.”

The Rajnath camp,however,firmly believes that unless the party is resuscitated in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,the BJP will not come to power on its own. And were that to happen,an upper caste leader,representing the milieu (read Rajnath),will occupy the top slot. The Rajnath camp has also been extremely conservative in giving Modi his due — his name is often tagged along with other BJP chief ministers — and holds the grudge that Advani has,in a way,anointed Modi as his successor.