Opinion The avatar

But the RSS opted for the relatively unknown and untested Gadkari,who happens to be the boy next door. He lives in Nagpur near the RSS headquarters in the city,and is a full-blooded Maharashtrian Brahmin,as is the RSS chief,Mohan Bhagwat. Gadkari is in the mould of the faceless disciplined soldier preferred by the Sangh. Bhagwat has made known that he wants to end personalised politics and does not believe in leaders giving unnecessary sound bites for TV.

With Gadkari’s induction,the RSS has moved from the silent manipulator behind the scenes to an unapologetically upfront controller. Unlike his predecessors,Bhagwat is not coy about acknowledging that he hopes to call the shots in the party and his mission is to set the party on the right path. Annoyed with the very public display of infighting within the BJP during Rajnath Singh’s tenure,Bhagwat is determined that BJP leaders should not speak in discordant voices. He is wary of intellectuals,especially those not originally from the Sangh stable. This is why Rajnath Singh was able to eject Jaswant Singh so summarily from the party. Bhagwat’s vision for the BJP is of a disciplined outfit not corrupted by scandal or sleaze,whose office bearers are comparatively young and relatively anonymous.

Bhagwat believes that the party which claims to be different should revert to its core ideology — the RSS’s Hindutva philosophy,which many see as out of step with the times and in desperate need of a course correction. Bhagwat is unapologetic for the Babri demolition and harps on old RSS hobby horses such as Akhand Bharat,conversions and Indian tradition as opposed to today’s popular culture. In foreign policy he favours an extremely nationalistic approach,is self-avowedly anti-Pakistan,anti-China and suspicious of the West. His economic mantra is self reliance and he has misgivings about economic liberalisation.

With the RSS’s insular,narrow-minded vision,some see this as the end of the road for the BJP as a centrist,non-caste-based,national mainstream party which offers an alternative to the Congress,an image which Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani to an extent fought hard and long to project. NDA allies,like the Janata Dal (U),are clearly nervous about the BJP’s changing avatar. Former allies like the BJD have already moved away. Recent polls also suggest that the BJP’s appeal to the youth,urban voter and middle class professional,once it core constituency,has declined sharply.

As of now,the RSS seems more concerned with controlling the organisational structure of the party rather than influencing the legislative wing at the Centre. Advani may have taken on a more ceremonial role as chairperson of the BJP Parliamentary Board,but it would be premature to write him off. Given the hierarchical structure of the party and the fact that his nominees,Swaraj and Jaitley,occupy key positions,Advani’s word will continue to count for a lot. Particularly as most party MPs are privately unhappy with the growing influence of the RSS in party affairs. At a BJP parliamentary party meet earlier this month,Uday Singh,an MP from Bihar,expressed misgivings about the signals emanating from Gadkari’s appointment. He said he had won his seat with the help of the minorities and warned that if the party shed its inclusive character,it would be unable to survive politically. Significantly,no BJP MP contradicted Singh — and many congratulated him afterwards.

The RSS takeover is not yet complete. Since the BJP’s inception there has been an ongoing tug-of-war between the more liberal elements in the party and the RSS. The struggle for control is still continuing. Bhagwat also has indicated that he is not interested in a purge,but wants all sections treated with dignity. Unlike in most other parties,the president is not the sole arbiter. The BJP works through a consensus of sorts,even if some are more equal than others and the RSS opinion outweighs all others. Which way the wind blows will be seen from Gadkari’s choice of vice presidents and general secretaries.

coomi.kapoor@expressindia.com