In December ’09, when the RSS chose Nitin Gadkari to head the BJP, they hoped it would be a smooth run thereafter. A year-and-a-half later, the script has gone all wrong. In fact, Sangh sources say the BJP president is now being seen as a rebel.
Differences with the Sangh first surfaced in September 2010 when Gadkari and his advisors Ajay Sancheti, Sandeep Kalia, party national treasurer Piyush Goyal and Tulsiram Aggarwal decided to join hands with Shibu Soren’s JMM to form a government in Jharkhand. The RSS vehemently opposed the idea on moral grounds. Gadkari ignored its advice and went ahead anyway.
Gadkari also dragged his feet over Uma Bharati’s return to the fold. Repeated reminders from the RSS were met with promises and explanations that “consensus over Uma’s return was difficult in the BJP”.
The same excuse was used when former general secretary Sanjay Joshi, another expelled leader, was to be reinducted. While the RSS wanted him to take charge of political affairs in UP, Gadkari has so far managed to fob him off. The result: Joshi has been handling affairs in UP without officially being given charge.
Gadkari has also been protecting Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank, who’s facing a slew of corruption charges, for the last six months. A miffed Sangh wants him replaced.
A recent bone of contention has been the induction of Sudheendra Kulkarni in Gadkari’s core team to prepare the Vision 2020 draft document. The RSS has been opposed to him since Advani’s infamous Jinnah speech episode.
