4 reasons why Modi won't choose Murli Manohar Joshi as his defence minister

Narendra Modi, media reports suggest, wants to keep his cabinet ‘young’ for obvious reasons. He has promised the sky and more during his poll campaign and the expectations from his government are, well, sky high. And the first step to a glitch-free start in the right direction is getting the cast of the cabinet right. Till now the popular opinion about Modi’s ministers have been favourable, save a Madhu Kishwar dismissing HRD minister Smriti Irani and short-lived outrage over Najma Heptulla insisting that Muslims are not minorities. But when it comes to the big four – Home, Finance, Defence and External Affairs – there have been no quibbles from any corner. Of the big portfolios, Defence still remains open to potential controversy as Arun Jaitley has only temporary charge of it. The final pick has not been made as yet, but there has been some chatter about Murli Manohar Joshi, the BJP veteran who has so far been sidelined along with LK Advani. But here’s why he is least likely to make the cut for that plum job. [caption id=“attachment_1548579” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Narendra Modi with Murli Manohar Joshi. Reuters.[/caption] First, in the wake of ceasefire violations and the reported government-Army discord in the country, India needs to recruit someone diplomatic yet firm to deal with Pakistan, much like the new avatar of Modi unveiled at the pow-wow with Nawaz Sharif. Given that a considerable part of the defence portfolio will include relations with Pakistan and its Army, appointing  a prominent RSS functionary like Joshi as Defence Minister may not send the right signal. Besides, the BJP has already paid a high price for Joshi’s over-zealousness in the past. In 1998, when Joshi was the Human Resource Development Minister with Uma Bharti as the minister of state, there were a not-so-subtle attempt to introduce ideas of Hindutva into curriculum provided in government institution. A Frontline report states: “Among the many recommendations made by the group of experts was one that the content of education from the primary level to the higher education stage should be “Indianised, nationalised and spiritualised”, and that courses at all levels, including vocational training courses, should incorporate the “essentials of Indian culture”. The NDA government finally had to back down in the face of great resistance from the states. Sure, Joshi too may have learned a lesson, but it is telling that Modi sidelined him almost entirely when the BJP manifesto was drafted to ensure that it had very little mention of either Hindutva of Hindu pride unlike the preceding years. It is very likely that Modi wants to ensure his pick of Defence Minister also does not send out any unintended signal about Hindu nationalism. Second, will Modi trust a key ministry with the man he pushed out of Varanasi ? During his campaign, Modi made Joshi’s constituency the epicentre of his campaign. BJP turned Varanasi into the bunker from which it fought the war for Uttar Pradesh – especially the eastern end which was vital to Amit Shah’s strategy.  And Murli Manohar Joshi clearly wasn’t the man for the job. Hence, he was shuttled out to Kanpur, while Modi made Varanasi his mathrabhoomi. Over and again, Modi has signalled his low estimation of Joshi’s talent as a politician. There is no reason that he harbours a greater respect for his administrative skills. Third, the new under-75 diktat that Modi has put in place works against Joshi. The 80-year-old leader, unlike his younger counterparts, doesn’t exude the youthful confidence and enthusiasm that is a pre-requisite for Modi sarkar, especially in a key ministry like defence. Joshi along with Advani have been framed as “too old” for the new BJP, and  Joshi especially was kept out of the spotlight during the campaign, making very few rally appearances. Why would Modi want to forefront the octogenarian as a prominent face of his government, more so as a defence minister who is likely to symbolise the muscular and assertive India that Modi touted on the campaign trail. Finally, Joshi represents the past.  However much Modi applauds Vajpayee and acknowledges his contribution to the BJP in public, the fact remains Modi represents the end of the Vajpayee era in every sense of the word.  In Modi-fied BJP and now India, there is no place for old faces who represent old allegiances and ideas. He has systemically edged out the old guard - all important members of Vajpayee’s cabinet - one by one. Jaswant Singh was denied a ticket, Yashwant Sinha didn’t contest and LK Advani had to settle for a constituency he didn’t want – and seems unlikely to get any position that he may want in the new government. Neither is Joshi. But all is not lost for the old BJP war-horse. The Indian Express, however, reports, “Sources said Joshi has offered to work under Modi in the government, the former’s role in the government is being worked out, party insiders say, adding he may also be considered for an advisory role.” The IE also reports that Joshi’s meeting came on the back of Rajnath Singh’s meeting with RSS leaders.