New Delhi, January 23
Rajnath Singh was today unanimously elected president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, signalling an end to a dramatic twist in process that saw the sudden exit of Nitin Gadkari, the favourite of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the party’s ideological mentor.
Rajnath Singh, who turns 63 this July and hails from Uttar Pradesh, emerged as the chosen one backed both by the RSS and top party leaders whose opposition to Gadkari queered the pitch for the latter’s re-election following allegations of misdoings by his Purti Group of companies. Raids by Income-Tax sleuths on companies associated with Gadkari put an end to the bid. After closed-door confabulations last night cleared Rajnath’s name, the BJP Parliamentary Board formally met here this morning to complete the process after which an announcement was made. Rajnath represents Ghaziabad parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha. BJP veteran LK Advani, who steadfastly opposed Gadkari’s candidature despite backing by the RSS, was candid in his speech underscoring that there could be “no compromise with any immoral behaviour.”
“We should prove that this is a party with a difference and not a party with differences as our opponents say”, he said.
On his part, Rajnath Singh, who held the office before Gadkari, treaded a cautious path promising to stand by the former chief. “We
all wanted him to be elected as party president again and we amended the Constitution also. But the way baseless allegations were levelled against him, he said he would resign and not hold any post till his name is cleared. You are not alone, the whole BJP stands united behind you,” he said.
Seizing the opportunity to occupy a high moral ground, the outgoing party chief reiterated he opted out as he did not want the BJP to be dragged into the battle and saw a political conspiracy to link him with the issue with which he had no direct or indirect involvement. While tackling fractious politics within the organisation and prepare the party for the 2014 General Election are some of the challenges Rajnath Singh faces, his second innings as the party chief began on a rather ominous note - BJP government in Karnataka plunging into fresh crisis.
Before finalising the name of Rajnath Singh, party sources said Advani favoured M Venkaiah Naidu, after Sushma Swaraj showed disinclination for the job. Swaraj is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The sources said even though there was some opposition to Rajnath Singh, his name came through after the RSS indicated preference for him.
