6 min readJan 14, 2024 08:56 AM IST
First published on: Jan 14, 2024 at 07:55 AM IST
The two BJP elder statesmen, L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, have kept both the VHP and BJP guessing as to whether they will attend the Ram mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya or not.
Some Modi followers feel their presence might divert attention from the PM. In fact, temple trust general secretary Champat Rai initially even suggested that there was no point issuing invitations to the two nonagenarians out of consideration for their age.
However, after the media highlighted his remarks, the VHP top brass visited the two leaders on December 19 at their residences to formally present the invitations.
Advani at 96 is in frail health, but his loyal private secretary Deepak Chopra says the former party president is keen to attend the ceremony and they are trying to work out the logistics. Joshi, who celebrated his 90th birthday this month, is in remarkably good shape, both physically and mentally.
He practices yoga daily and sits in his office every morning. When a journalist recently reminded Joshi that it was he who had introduced him to Modi, then an unknown political face, during Joshi’s Kashmir yatra, the BJP veteran remarked light-heartedly that it would have been no great loss if he had not introduced Modi to him.
Name dropping Dal
Members of the Bajrang Dal, VHP’s youth wing, have been making the rounds of Delhi’s main markets to “persuade” shopkeepers to take part in the celebrations to coincide with the Ram mandir consecration ceremony.
Khan Market, considered Delhi’s most elite shopping space, with BJP leaders once dubbing most of the market’s clientele as “epitomising a Westernised Left, pseudo-secular mindset dismissive of India’s heritage and values”, was the Bajrang Dal’s special target.
Khan Market shopkeepers fell in line readily and agreed to put up saffron flags and light diyas for the occasion. Many shopkeepers, at the bidding of overzealous Bajrang Dal members, even signed a petition demanding the name of the market be changed from Khan Market, named in honour of Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan, once the CM of NWFP, to Shri Ram Market. However, when an influential individual shop owner approached two Central ministers to check if the name suggestion was at the PMO’s behest, he was told that this was not the case. He was advised to verify with the authorities directly in future and to not rely on self -appointed camp followers.
Jostling for power
Most members of INDIA bloc, including SP, Shiv Sena and Left, approve of Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal’s proposal to appoint Mallikarjun Kharge as the alliance chairperson. They realise the necessity of a single person of stature and commanding respect speaking on behalf of the alliance. The chairperson does not necessarily have to be projected as the bloc’s prospective prime ministerial candidate. The biggest objection to floating Kharge’s name came from his own party, which is opposed to anyone overshadowing the Gandhis.
Sharad Pawar and Nitish Kumar, who fancy the role for themselves, were also against the idea. Kharge’s SC status and South Indian background would be an asset with the voters, as also his experience in politics. With his growing importance, there is a power tussle between his two key aides, Syed Naseer Hussain and Gurdeep Singh Sappal. The latter has a clear advantage. Having worked with former Vice President Hamid Ansari and headed the Rajya Sabha TV network, Sappal is on friendly terms with most INDIA leaders and members of Rahul Gandhi’s staff. Hussain, an old associate of Kharge from Karnataka is less familiar with the working of Delhi’s power politics. As a sop, he was made in-charge of the Congress president’s office.
Constituency focused
There is still uncertainty about the possible Lok Sabha constituencies in 2024 for former bureaucrats now in full-time politics, including S Jaishankar, Hardeep Puri and Ashwini Vaishnaw. But another Modi favourite, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, former foreign secretary and chief coordinator for India’s G20 presidency last year, is certain to get a BJP ticket from Darjeeling.
Shringla, who is from Darjeeling, has focussed on his picturesque hill station home town for a while. Last year, Shringla, a former ambassador to the US, escorted a group of high-level investors who are a part of the US-India strategic partnership forum to the region. He is also president of the Darjeeling Welfare Association and was awarded special commendation by the Governor for fostering development work in the region. Shringla even organised a G20 special meet in Darjeeling during the summit.
Advani at 96 is in frail health, but his loyal private secretary Deepak Chopra says the former party president is keen to attend the ceremony and they are trying to work out the logistics. Joshi, who celebrated his 90th birthday this month, is in remarkably good shape, both physically and mentally. (Express File Photo) 
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