BJP's Gen Next takes over, with Modi as 'first among equals'

In the mythological narrative, the churning of the ocean to extract the elixir of immortality yielded both nectar and poison. Likewise, every major enterprise that makes bold to change the status quo releases both beneficial and malefic influences.

The BJP national executive, which concluded on Friday, signalled that the party is in the process of just such a giant churning process. True to form, this has caused tectonic plates to shift within the party, which can be quite unsettling for the established order. Yet, out of all the chaos – and there’s plenty of that to go around – some order appears to be emerging.

The party had over the past year scored a series of spectacular self-goals that had raised genuine doubts about its ability to make political gains from the UPA government’s avalanche of corruption scandals and its colossal mismanagement of the economy.

The party’s inability – or unwillingness – to project a leader for the 2014 elections meant that it was speaking in many voices. There was also a tug-of-war between the central unit of the party and the strong regional leaders, and between the RSS mothership, with its emphasis on ideological ‘purity’, and the party, which had to function in the very real and far-from-ideal marketplace of politics.

In the days leading up to the national executive meeting, it appeared to be at risk of being overshadowed by perceptions of personality clashes within the BJP. Speculation revolved around whether Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi would attend it at all. And even after the meet’s conclusion, much of the chatter appears to centre around the absence of party veteran LK Advani and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj at the concluding rally.

The failure of such leading lights to be present at what ought to have been a show of party unity and solidarity is of course striking. The ritual photo-up of leaders on stage at the rally has two vacuous holes in it – in the shape of Advani and Swaraj - which continues to feed media chatter ( as for instance here ) about the continuing “conflict” within the party.

Yet, the far bigger message to emerge from the BJP national executive, which appears thus far to have been lost on the commentariat, is that a seismic – and generational - change has been ushered into the party. For the first time, the party’s Gen Next – as represented by the triumvirate of Narendra Modi, Nitin Gadkari and Arun Jaitely – have stepped up to take control of the party.

Just as significantly, Modi has established himself as the “first among equals”, with the central party leadership and the RSS mothership appearing to acknowledge the merits of having a mass popular leader command the party’s charge in the run-up to 2014.

This doesn’t, of course, mean that there isn’t a role for Advani and Swaraj within the core leadership of the party. But the unambiguous message that’s been sent to them is that a pecking order of sorts has been established – in the larger interest of the party and to lend coherence to the campaign ahead - which it would be in their interests to honour.

Modi’s keynote speech at the concluding rally ( watch it here ) virtually amounted to his acceptance of the mantle, and his readiness to project himself as the party’s commander in the battle for 2014.

By focussing sharply on the many failings of the UPA government – which he likened to the ‘godman’ Nirmal Baba’s durbar – Modi effectively launched the BJP’s election campaign for 2014. And by targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh specifically and repeatedly, Modi signalled just where his sights are. He also played up the developmental strides that Gujarat had made under his watch, and studiously avoided the rhetoric of ‘identity politics’ centred around Hindutva, which had worked so well for him in earlier elections.

For sure, the apparent projection of Modi as the party’s commander ahead of 2014 is not without risks for the BJP: for all his ability to arouse the party’s core cadres, Modi remains an intensely polarising politician at the national level. Just how many of the BJP’s alliance partners will warm up to him remains in some doubt.

But at the first step, the BJP appears to have at least overcome its internal dilemma over the wisdom of projecting him as its General. It can now get down to the serious business of formulating strategy and finessing its policy positions. In every way, the party’s war bugle for the 2014 election has been sounded. Game on!