JUNE 28- It was supposed to be a BJP core committee meeting to discuss the strategy to take on the Congress- however what it ended up showing was the divisions within the party. Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP campaign Chief Narendra Modi held his first core committee meeting with Maharashtra state leaders to fine tune the party’s strategy in the wake of the Lok Sabha and Maharasthra polls.
Modi in his meeting told the party cadres to be prepared for the elections, he asked the BJP leaders to ensure that the BJP cadres are among the people not before the elections but right now. The BJP campaign chief said that the BJP cadres should go among the people and highlight the numerous scams that have occurred during the Congress government rule in the country.
Maharashtra BJP Chief Devendra Fadnavis claimed that Modi had told them to meet people from different caste and religions to propogate the corruption of the Congress government. He added that Modi stressed on the BJP highlighting the good governance of BJP governments in comparison to congress rule.
However Modi’s visit and the meeting was eclipsed due to the absence of former BJP Chief Nitin Gadkari who was not present in the meeting. BJP leaders claimed that while Gadkari was not a member of the core committee he was invited for the meet, however the latter didn’t turn up. Embarrassed BJP leaders were not able to give an answer as to why Gadkari didn’t turn up. However later Gadkari’s office informed the media that he couldn’t attend the core committee meet as he had to go to Delhi. Apparently the reason given was that Gadkari had to be present at the Norway consulate for an interview in connection with his visit to Norway. Gadkari is scheduled to visit Norway from June 29th to July 7th.
However there were not takers for this explanation simply because even BJP leaders on condition of anonymity questioned whether the Norway consulate interview was so important that it couldn’t have been postponed for the conclave meeting.
What has given rise to speculation that this was a deliberate snub by Gadkari to Modi, was the fact that Gadkari is scheduled to be present at a function with Modi in the evening in Mumbai. Both Gadkari and Modi would be present when the latter unveils the book by party ideologue Vinay Sahasrabuddhe’s ‘Beyond A Billion Ballot.’
Gadkari does have reasons to be miffed with Modi, for instance last year in Mumbai when the BJP was to ratify the move to give a second term to the BJP President. Modi refused to come for the meeting in Mumbai until Gadkari did not shunt out his rival in the party Sanjay Joshi, only after Joshi was removed that Modi came for the Mumbai meeting.
In fact even the stories of Gadkari’s stake in Purti Group and the controversy surrounding it was being blamed on Modi, none other than RSS ideologue MG Vaidya said that Modi could be behind it as Modi supporter Ram Jethmalani was baying for Gadkari to be shifted. Gadkari by remaining absent at today’s function is actually been seen as paying back Modi in his own coin.
