Now Nagaland Governor, La Ganesan an RSS veteran, was once among key BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu

Ganesan, a polyglot who speaks, among other languages, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi, saw the party through during some of its toughest times. Under him, the BJP tied up with J Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK, only to have it withdraw support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The government fell by one vote.

Later, along with Cho Ramaswamy, Ganesan was credited with getting the DMK to the BJP side. He is also believed to have helped the BJP develop links with the Tamil diaspora in Sri Lanka, Europe, and Asia.

Unlike the new generation of state BJP leaders, Ganesan has enjoyed cordial relations with leaders across the political spectrum, including Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa, and even Communist leaders.

In Tamil Nadu, where caste plays a role in politics, Ganesan, who was born to a Brahmin family in Thanjavur, has been appreciated for not playing the caste card. He has also been appreciated for living a frugal life, the lasting image of him being a leader on the move with just a small bag.

He has written extensively, including songs for the party, edited “Ore Naadu (One Nation)”, the mouthpiece of the Tamil Nadu BJP, and started “Pottramarai (Golden Lotus)”, which is a group of Tamil scholars from across the world.

However, this overarching personality meant leaders under him did not get the opportunity to grow, said a senior Tamil Nadu BJP leader, refusing to identify himself. He accused Ganesan of being “self-centred” and alleged that he promotes his family. “His brother and sister-in-law’s domination in the party was a matter of concern. He also made his brother-in-law a key figure in the party mouthpiece.”

In Manipur, Ganesan was an active Governor and also the rare one to have transferred his vote to the state he was working in. Six months after he moved to Imphal, he was enrolled as a voter in the Sagolband constituency of Imphal West district. During his time in Manipur, he was known to meet people, tour districts and talk about government schemes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he earned a lot of praise for organising an interactive programme with leaders of various faiths to get their support for a successful vaccination drive.

Last July, Ganesan was given the additional charge of West Bengal after Jagdeep Dhankhar became the Vice-President.