- Sunil Rajguru
There is never a dull moment when Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is around. While most of his detractors are convinced that he will still never make it to the Prime Minister’s post, it is beside the point now.
With his appointment as BJP’s election campaign chief, Modi has already changed the rules of the game. Here’s a look at the things that he’s already done by virtue of his recent appointment...
1. Officially ended infighting at the top.
Till a few days back, half a dozen leaders in the BJP wanted to be PM. Now all of them have been shown their place and know that they can’t be with Modi around. It is a fait accompli now that Modi is the PM candidate for the BJP.
Only if the BJP falls well short in the next Lok Sabha elections or the allies create a huge ruckus will other names be considered. But that is quite a long way off and till then everyone has given way to Modi, healthy for party discipline.
2. Hence united the party at the bottom.
If the leaders are fighting at the top, then it does affect the workers at the ground level. But now since the top is united, the bottom will hold and for once the party will be able to give a united fight to the Congress.
3. Finally got Advani to go.
Once upon a time Advani built the BJP and put AB Vajpayee on the PM’s chair. But that day is long past. In 2009, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh delivered a knockout punch to LK Advani. That is exactly the time he should have retired.
From 2009 to now, Advani has been more of a liability and his resignation from all posts will benefit the party in the long run. Even if other leaders get him to stay under certain conditions, it will never be the same.
4. Hence made the old guard irrelevant.
With Advani becoming irrelevant, the same will be now said of the old guard. Modi is 62 and it is clear that much younger players like Chief Ministers Manohar Parrikar and Shivraj Singh Chauhan will become more relevant.
The leadership will look much younger from now on.
5. Given direction to the party.
Till now the BJP looked directionless and was pulling in many personalities and ideologies. Now the mantra is clear. It is Development with a capital D. That will be the focus of the party.
People don’t appreciate how single-minded and focused Modi has been in the last odd decade. His speeches are downright brilliant when one compares them to people like Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and that focus will be rubbed on to the BJP now.
Text: Sify
Images: AFP
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