Monday, May 20th 04:18 AM IST
 

Sanjay Joshi’s exit is good riddance for the BJP

R Jagannathan

The BJP’s biggest problem is that it has too many aspiring leaders and too little coherence at the top. It also has too many forces meddling with the party – from the RSS to the other elements of the Sangh Parivar. Sanjay Joshi, whatever his good points as an organisation man, was only fomenting trouble for Narendra Modi in the run-up to the Gujarat election. The RSS thinks highly of him, but having elements of the RSS dictating the BJP’s political line can be constricting. This is the last thing the party needs if it plans to project Modi as its next PM candidate. Trying to contain too many contradictions within has been the bane of all Indian political parties – more so for the BJP, which does not have a Dynasty as the ultimate source of power. In this scenario, the party needs to have one leader who can articulate all its positions. The BJP’s strength and weakness is the RSS – it needs the Sangh for ground-level support, but if the Sangh imposes its agenda on the party, the party cannot grow. As the Sangh’s voice in the BJP, and especially given his antagonism to Modi, Joshi had to go.  read less read more

Arun George

Sanjay Joshi’s star may have been waning since the BJP’s debacle in the Uttar Pradesh polls but his sudden resignation from the party only highlights the infighting that the BJP is unable to quell. Joshi was a confidante of BJP president Nitin Gadkari and a key link with the Rashtiya Swayamsevak Sangh. In one swift move, Gadkari’s authority has been eroded and the party now also has to ensure it maintains its relations with the RSS. Modi’s rise is not viewed as favourably by all within the party and Joshi’s sudden exit may only open the gates for more dissent and infighting, something which definitely doesn’t augur well for the BJP. read less read more