Commentary/Rajiv Shukla
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat should be the next BJP president
The Bharatiya Janata Party leadership has done the right
thing by deciding to support Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhairon
Singh Shekhawat in this, his hour of need.
At the moment, Shekhawat's ministry is precariously poised with
13 legislators having turned rebels, with every possibility of this number
swelling in the days to come. Besides having to battle the enemy
within, the Shekhawat government is also having to combat the
United Front government's efforts to destabilise it. So, at this
critical juncture, the BJP leadership ought to back the chief
minister and deal firmly with the dissidents.
But once Bhairon Singh Shekhawat manages to recapture the required
strength in the assembly and restore order in Rajasthan, he must
move towards the national arena. Ideally, once this mess is sorted
out, Shekhawat should appoint a party leader of his choice as
chief minister of Rajasthan and bid farewell to state politics.
The reason for this is simple: Shekhawat, I feel, is the right
man to succeed L K Advani as BJP president. Advani's term ends
this November and, already, there is intense speculation over
who will lead the party into the next year.
Two former presidents,
Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Murli Manohar Joshi, do not seem to be
particularly interested in a second term. Vajpayee is, of course,
the party's prime ministerial candidate. So, the list of contenders
for the top job, besides Shekhawat, includes Kalyan Singh, Sunder
Singh Bhandari, Kushabhau Thakre and Bangaru Laxman.
While Bhandari,
Thakre and Laxman are all competent party leaders, none of them
enjoys any mass support. Kalyan Singh does have a following in
his home state but there is every indication that he would rather
be chief minister of UP than BJP president.
So, that leaves Shekhawat. Currently into his third
stint as Rajasthan chief minister, he is respected by political
colleagues and rivals alike. His long stint in Rajasthan has made
him indispensable to the BJP's scheme of things in its northern
stronghold. But now it is time for him to move on.
In the next few months, Shekhawat should get his house in order,
nominate a non-rajput leader, preferably a bania or a jat, as chief
minister of Rajasthan, and himself move towards the bigger stage
awaiting him. Shekhawat will prove a vital vote-catcher in north
India as he enjoys tremendous support among the rajput community.
And the senior BJP leader's political acumen cannot be doubted.
He has earned himself the reputation of being a shrewd political
operator, who can be entrusted with the responsibility of leading
his partymen and dealing with rival political leaders.
Thus, once the party leadership manages to resolve the Rajasthan
crisis, it should take immediate steps to pave the way for Shekhawat's
march towards national politics. The BJP must take full advantage
of Shekhawat's abilities and political experience in the crucial months ahead.
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