by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
BJP's Core Committee may be over-hauled
J P Nadda in reckoning for the apex decision making body
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, May 28
Intense speculation is rife in the Capital over the composition of BJP's Core Committee now that two if its vital members are not part of it. Mr M Venkaiah Naidu became the Vice President of India in 2017 and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has opted out temporarily due to frailing health.
The Core Committee comprised of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP Chief Amit Shah and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari besides these two. The vacancy caused by Naidu's exit was not filled. The criterion for forming the Core Committee was that all former party president below the age of 75 will be its members. Arun Jaitley was inducted as he was Leader of the Rajya Sabha. The Cor committee concept was evolved in the BJP during the days of Atal era which continued in the Modi era too.
This Core Committee meets at short notice to take key decisions relating to party and the government whenever needed. These decisions are later ratified by the party's parliamentary board if they needed the approval. The BJP's parliamentary board is a larger body with Sushma Swaraj, Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, J P Nadda and Ram Lal as members. The talent deficit is the main worry of the BJP as more than 100 new MPs have been elected to the Lok Sabha out of the 303 and Rajya Sabha will also see 60 new faces in April 2020.
There are indications that Union Health Minister J P Nadda who is general secretary incharge of the Parliamentary Board may be inducted into the Core Committee in the event of his becoming the Leader of the Rajya Sabha or party president. Nadda has been a trusted lieutenant of the leadership and was incharge of UP during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The steller performance of the party in UP has added feather in his cap.
Ravi Shankar Prasad is also in the reckoning. If External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj stays in the government she will continue to be the member of the parliamentary board, the only woman member of the apex body. Otherwise, a new woman leader may be brought in, sources say. As per the seniority, Textiles Minister Smriti Irani is a third time MP and a giant killer and contender for induction into the apex body though Nirmala Sitharaman is senior in order of precedence as she is the Defence Minister of India though first time MP.
