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Mixed Signals
The new
Gujarat chief minister begins with a bang before bowing down to party
and RSS pressure. INDIA TODAY's Special Correspondent Uday Mahurkar reports.
In less than a fortnight of taking over,
Narendra Modi has come to feel the compulsions of realpolitik. Soon after
he replaced Keshubhai Patel as chief minister, he was all bravado, determined
to drive out from his cabinet those with a tainted image and ordering
a reshuffle in the bureaucracy. In other words, he was a man in total
command. Days later, however, the superstar's confidence has begun to
dip. As he expanded his ministry and swore in 27 new ministers to make
it a 39-member body, it became clear that Modi, for all his no-nonsense
projections, was acting under pressure.
The
fact that Modi had gone in for a jumbo cabinet was an indication of the
extent to which he was uinder the influence of the BJP and the RSS. Even
the composition of the ministry was marked by a lack of merit. That former
ministers like Jaspal Singh and Jaynarayan Vyas hadn't found a berth this
time despite a good track record in office wasn;t lost on anyone. The
decision, Modi's critics were quick to point out, was coloured by the
perception that they had violated RSS discipline.
The exclusion of Jaspal Singh, known for his clean-up drives, from a government
which claims to be committed to wiping out corruption, was difficult to
digest. As were the distribution of some of the portfolios. Modi is being
accused of being biased with major portfolios like revenue, home, finance
and agriculturew going to the Patels. Says Vidyut Thakar, a political
analyst: "Modi was forced to surrender many of the gains he made
on the first day because of a meek party leadership." State BJP General
Secretary and RSS pracharak Sanjay Joshi too admits that the BJP was forced
to go in for a jumbo Cabinet because various sections had to be satisfied.
"The balancing act was inevitable," he adds.
Such statements have not projected him in good light. As key member of
the BJP in Gujarat, ible for at least some of the criticism that stuck
on Keshubhai Patel before he stepped down. Seen as a weak leader, he has
repeatedly refrained from taking bold decisions. Besides Joshi, prominent
among others who had a say in the formation of the Cabinet was state BJP
chief Rajendrasinh Rana. It was on his insistence that Modi retained alleged
gangster Urshottam Solanki. There were only some cases in which Modi's
word was final. For instance Vajubhai Vala, whose dubious land deals were
a major embarrassment to the Keshubhai Government, tried to exert pressure
on Modi from all sides to stay on in the cabinet. From the all-powerful
revenue and finance portfolio, he was willing to accept even an insignificant
post but Modi was unrelenting. Of consolation was also the selection of
officials like P.K. Mishra for the bureaucracy. Known for his integrity,
Mishra is now the chief minister's principal secretary.
Admitting that he had to go in for a balancing act in the selection of
ministers, Modi is now determined to get down to business. Having sworn
in his ministers with a Net telecast, he is now going about video-conferencing
with district collectors and others.One collector who failed to give Modi
a fitting reply on the spread of minor epidemic was duly pulled up. Within
four days of taking over, he had presided over crucial meetings in the
departments of power, earthquake rehabilitation, Narmada development and
border security. As a Modi supporter points out, "This is what will
matter now after the setback in the formation of the jumbo ministry. Modi's
own speed and efficiency will count. If his engine moves smoothly, then
criticism will get neutralised."
But will it? That is something that will be evident as the days go by.
The poverbearing shadow of party influences apart, Modi has also to contend
with rivals like Shankarsinh Vaghela , who is now the Congress' pointman.
Vaghela had remained largely neglected after joining the Congress. But
with Modi's arrival, his demand within the party has skyrocketed.
se two considerations will have to factored in. The real test for him
will be to deliver despite it all. And speed will be the key since assembly
elections are a little more than a year away.
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