New Delhi, November 17: With Rajnath Singh’s term as BJP president coming to an end by the year-end, and party’s Ayodhya mascot Kalyan Singh having expressed his desire to return to the BJP, the Uttar Pradesh BJP may see some action soon.
While manoeuvrings in the state party unit are linked to the goings-on in the central BJP, Rajnath is now planning a life beyond his term as BJP president, which has incidentally seen the party on a sharp downslide in his home state of Uttar Pradesh, say sources.
In a strategic move, Rajnath may step down as BJP president “a few weeks ahead of the due date”, say sources, but he has, at the same time, also reportedly expressed his “reservations” about Kalyan’s comeback into the party. Leaders like Vinay Katiyar are ready to welcome Kalyan back into the party, but Rajnath supporters have cited reasons given by leaders like former Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kesari Nath Tripathi warning against any move to take him back into the party.
Rajnath’s future, according to sources, would revolve around three coordinates — Hindutva, his home state of Uttar Pradesh and farmers’ cause. Rajanth, who counted his proximity to a section of RSS leadership as his biggest strength, would never like to cede the Hindutva constituency to any other leader. Kalyan’s possible return to the party fold, or Murli Manohar Joshi’s elevation in the party set-up could change precisely this, add sources.
While Advani and the RSS said to be acting in tandem on overhauling the central BJP (both Advani and the RSS were reportedly keen on Narendra Modi’s name for the BJP president’s post — something to which the Gujarat Chief Minister reportedly said “no”, interested as he was in continuing in the state “for at least one more year”), and the leadership issue as good as settled “in favour of a low-key, non-Delhi leader” (Maharashtra BJP president Nitin Gadkari being the front-runner), the BJP’s energies would also be focused on legislative business in coming weeks.
Rajnath is expected to raise the sugarcane issue in the Lok Sabha in the first week of the coming session, but it’s the Rajya Sabha that would prove crucial for the Opposition— the combined Opposition outnumbers the government in the Upper House. While Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh has taken the lead, and has been meeting leaders of several parties, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, is planning to rope in other Opposition parties to thwart the government bid to get the new ordinance on fair and remunerative price on sugarcane approved in the Rajya Sabha. Jaitley is said to have held meetings with Ajit and Sharad Yadav on the issue.
–Agencies