Sorry Mr. Modi, don’t agree with you on this

Sushil Modi

By Rupang Bhatt, Ahmedabad, 9 June 2012

The Economic Times in an interview, asked deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and BJP leader Shri Sushil Modi: How do you explain the internal differences that have surfaced in the editorial in Kamal Sandesh and an article in Panchjanya?

And Sushil Modi replied: In a party, people will have their own opinion. But the way Sanjay Joshi was dropped was not right. No one person should try to hijack the party and force a decision on the party. It is a democratic party, but nobody should try to force an opinion on it. This has not gone down well in the Sangh Parivar. That’s not the way it functions. The party is bigger than an individual.

So, do you agree with Mr. Sushil Modi? I do not.

I strongly believe that a political party under one undisputed leader would only be successful at the electoral front. Any word of that individual under whose leadership you are going into battle must be final. Consultations can go on, but the final words of a leader must be unchallengeable.

Advani hinted at this in his address at the BJP national executive meet in Mumbai, and gave examples of Mamta and Mulayam – the undisputed leaders under whom their parties shined.

If a powerful Congressman like Sharad Pawar dislikes Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi he has to leave the party. If Dinesh Trivedi is disliked by Mamta, he has to resign from the ministry. If Amar Singh is disliked by Mulayam, he has to leave the party.

There was a time when you could not imagine Congress party without Sharad Pawar, or Trinamool as partner in central government without Dinesh Trivedi as minister, or Samajwadi Party without Amar Singh. But that happened. And it happened as per the wish of whoever was the party leader? Look at the success stories of undisputed leaders like Jaya, Pawar, Sonia, Nitish, Mamta, Mulayamsingh, Badal, Narendra Modi and more.

One of the reasons why Congress remains in power is their undisputed leadership, and entire bandwagon of leaders and cadre solidly loyal to the leader. Same with Narendra Modi’s leadership and Gujarat BJP.

When Narendra Modi reaches Delhi, he must be in full command of making decisions, and there should be no dispute about it. Consultations can go on in closed door meetings, but there must not be any dissenting voice outside the party forum. Any powerful partymen must face tough actions for raising dissenting voice in public.

Partymen must not fall in discussion of useless topics like ‘who is bigger, the party or a leader?’

Is such a question discussed in Jayalalitha led AIADMK or Sonia led Congress or Obama led US Democratic Party or Mamta led Trinamool or Mulayam led Samajwadi Party? There can be a long list like this.

The Sanjay Joshi incident should be taken as a strong message that Modi’s decisions would matter, and he would be unchallengeable within the party.

The guiding command will of course continue to remain with the RSS.

Party democracy and all sound nice, but they are all procedures, if you want to win the election then there must be one leader and he should be projected as a face of the party. All other faces should stay away from lime light and simply follow him and help him with full devotion and honesty.