Modi enters BJP parliamentary board, Chauhan ignored

Narendra Modi was today inducted into BJP’s parliamentary board signalling that the Gujarat chief minister is set to play a larger role at the centre. Modi’s trusted aide Amit Shah was also elevated to the position of general secretary of the party. Ironically, Shah was not made part of the Gujarat cabinet for his alleged role in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh murder case. [caption id=“attachment_680065” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Narendra Modi in this file photo. PTI[/caption] The young Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi was promoted as general secretary of the party as well. It was significant that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan did not make the break despite being the chief executive of a state like Modi, equal number of times. Another popular face of the party Smriti Irani was made one of BJP vice presidents along with firebrand leader Uma Bharti. Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Pratap Rudy was made general secretary along with Murlidhar Rao and Ramlal. Rao is supposed to have a cordial relationship with the RSS.

Earlier this morning, Firstpost had noted: The elevation of Modi to the body marks a “homecoming” of sorts: Modi had earlier served on the panel, but had been dropped under pressure from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the mothership to whom the BJP remains fused. The supreme irony of today’s ‘promotion’ for Modi is that it will be BJP president  Rajnath Singh  – who eased Modi out on that earlier occasion – who will be reinducting him. It says something about the distance that Modi has travelled on the road to political acceptability in recent years, from being dropped owing to Sangh displeasure to being welcomed back on his terms and acknowledged as a mass leader of the party whose centrality in reviving the BJP’s political fortunes cannot be ignored. Read that piece here .  The new BJP team under party chief Rajnath Singh now eyes the 2014 Lok Sabha polls where it will take the Congress head-on.