After Brickbats, the Bonhomie!
The storm that engulfed the RSS and its political arm's (the BJP)73 years long political journey has died down. The relationship that began in October 1951 saw its golden era under RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat as its “Swayamsevak” (Volunteer) is ruling the country for a third term in a row. But this bond saw its worst when the BJP Chief, J P Nadda said in an interview to a leading English newspaper that the party doesn't need the support of the RSS anymore. “We are capable now. Earlier, we needed their (RSS) support but not anymore” Nadda declared on May 21, 2024, in the midst of the Lok Sabha polls. Mohan Bhagwat, waited for more than three weeks to respond to this unusual salvo fired by Nadda. He did not react even on June 4 when the BJP fell 32 seats short of a majority and chose to speak on June 11, 2024 at Nagpur. Bhagwat said, “A true Sevak (the one who serves the people) never shows arrogance and always maintains decorum in public life...the one who maintains decorum does his work, but remains unattached. There is no arrogance that I did this. Only such a person has the right to be called a Sevak.”
Bhagwat's message was loud and clear. But those hoping for this discourse to continue for long were in for a surprise as nothing of the sort happened as BJP realized that without the RSS it may be reduced to a "New Congress" as it is full of defectors. Modi also realized that the "Sangh Parivar" is supreme and not "Modi-Ka Parivar". Within days of Bhagwat's Nagpur sermon, three top functionaries of the RSS met Nadda to discuss the current political situation. No official word has emerged out of this meeting so far. But it is expected that the RSS will continue to have a role in the appointment of new BJP Chief and loyal workers will be taken care of by the government.
Why PK Mishra has reasons to Smile
Prime Minister's Principal Secretary P K Mishra is virtually a nameless and faceless officer. But Modi had developed a liking for this Gujarat cadre IAS officer during his days as Chief Minister. Modi has a God gifted knack to assess deliverable persons. PK Mishra is among such personnel. Even when Modi was in Gujarat, he specially telephoned Sharad Pawar requesting to help Mishra with a good posting in Delhi. Pawar who was Agriculture Minister, obliged and appointed him as Agriculture Secretary who was on deputation to Delhi. When Modi became PM, Mishra was made Deputy Principal Secretary in the PMO. Nripendra Mishra was Modi's Principal Secretary who delivered Ram Temple to him before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Nripendra Mishra's son was rewarded with a Lok Sabha ticket. It's a different matter that he lost. But P K Mishra who hails from Odisha, had a political role too. It is rumoured that he played a role in the selection of Droupadi Murmu, a tribal leader, to be selected for the post of the President. Murmu's selection paid rich dividends to BJP not only in Odisha but in other tribal states as well. It is also learnt that Murmu played a role in the selection of BJP's first-time MLA Naba Charan Majhi, for the prestigious Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat, replacing Union Minister Bishweswar Tudu. Majhi, a staunch supporter of Murmu, had worked with her in the 1990s. PK Mishra frequently interacted with Odiya bureaucrats and played a key role in assessing the political situation on the ground and silently played his role in winning Odisha for the BJP.
The importance of being Ashwini Vaishnav
Among the 30-member strong Union Ministers in the Modi 3.0 Cabinet, Ashwini Vaishnav is the only one to be given the charge of three ministries; Railways, IT and Information & Broadcasting. Even four times former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan lost Panchayati Raj when given Agriculture & Rural Development ministries. Even Leader of the Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal lost Food and Consumer Affairs after being elected to the Lok Sabha. He has to remain contended with Commerce and Industries. Another confidante of the Modi dispensation Bhupendra Yadav lost Labour & Unemployment and left with Environment and Climate Change. Dr Mansukh Mandavia and Dharmendra Pradhan also lost a lot of fat.
Ashwini Vaishnav, apart from getting three ministries, is also being groomed for the party work and playing a role in overseeing elections in one part or the other. It was speculated earlier that Vaishnav may be entrusted with the Finance Ministry. But Nirmala Sitharaman survived largely because the BJP did not get 300 + seats and Modi went into status- cosiest mode. The BJP insiders said Vaishnav was the real architect of the party's manifesto although Defence Minister Rajnath Singh headed the Manifesto committee. After the launch, Vaishnaw held a video conference with key party leaders and briefed them about the manifesto's salient features.
