CHOUHAN, RAJE, RAMAN SINGH MAY BE INDUCTED INTO UNION CABINET
trols the government and even if the best talents are roped in, they would have to play second fiddle to the all powerful PMO. To illustrate their argument, it is pointed out that the foreign policy is enunciated not in the Ministry of External Affairs but in the PMO. Similarly, key decisions regarding other ministries including Finance, Home and Defence are initi- ated only after the bureaucracy in the PMO gives a green signal. In September last, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had offered to quit following reports that he could be shifted. However, he was persuaded to stay on. Therefore, the party’s adversaries believe that it does not matter who is heading which ministry, since it is the PMO alone which calls the shots.
Within the Sangh Parivar, where there is a growing unease over the selection of the nominees for the Lok Sabha elections, it is thought that the party should function in the manner in which it did in 2014. In other words, it should be more inclusive, rather than ignoring the rights of the elected representatives to be heard before they are substituted. In this context, several BJP MPs have already started looking for greener pastures elsewhere. At least one Lok Sabha MP from Delhi is understood to have commenced a dialogue with other parties. Earlier in the week, Savitri Bai Phule, the BJP MP from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh exited the saffron brigade, citing the discrimination against Dalits as her principal reason.
The ray of a realistic hope is that Modi continues to be the singular undisputed leader of the country, whose mass appeal stretches way beyond any of his rivals. He is a master campaigner, who does not leave anything to chance, but pours his entire energy in putting across his party’s point of view. He is a relentless spearhead, whose plus point is that he does not hesitate in treading unexplored paths. It is said that even the best of generals sometimes have to taste defeat, in order to make them complete military leaders. A defeat in the Assembly polls would only spur Modi to achieve greater heights, provided the people continue to back him.