Looking for the party within the BJP

Late last month news of a discord between Narendra Modi and Rajnath Singh emerged over the alleged misconduct of the latter's son and BJP leader Pankaj Singh. Television channels went berserk quoting sources from the PMO who alleged that the PM had personally reprimanded the home minister over an unspecified misconduct.

But by late evening the wily Thakur from Uttar Pradesh and the former BJP president who had handed over the mantle to Modi confidant Amit Shah had played his cards well, forcing both Modi and Shah to issue a clarification that all was well within the PMO and Rajnath had all the respect of his colleagues.

Rajnath had lashed out saying that the rumours were the handiwork of those who wanted to create communal disturbance in the country. Sources close to the home minister suggest that he had anticipated a well calculated leak by those close to the PM and his barb was directed at them, leaving little to the imagination of those who were well-versed with BJP politics.

Just a few days before this incident, I had in a column in the Outlook written about the friction between the Modi-Shah duo and other senior cabinet ministers including Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari over the bugging episode.

The column revealed that the RSS had to mediate to cool down the tempers and made Gadkari issue a statement that "all was well", when clearly there was an apparent tiff between the PMO and one of the most important cabinet ministers Rajnath Singh.

As debates on TV channels over Modi's performance in the last hundred days as PM and his historical visit to Japan raged, it could well be interesting to notice that somewhere in the Modi mania, the BJP which gained an absolute majority this election has ended up being a one man show and this, many in the party argue, could translate into a rebellion in the near future.

This thought could be an exaggeration but for the surveillance Modi and his confidant Amit Shah have unleashed on their own party members, with the decision making powers resting with an inner coterie that has been outsourced from Gujarat, Modi's kingdom of 15 yearsA look at Modi's team in the PMO and one will be convinced of the insecurity that Modi has of his own party colleagues, despite being the prime minister of the largest democracy in the country and being given a free hand by the Sangh.

Right from his principal secretary to the additional principal secretary to Sanjay Bhavsar, his go-to man, each of them have proved their unflinching loyalty to the former CM of Gujarat.

A few insights about each of them. Modi's additional principal secretary PK Mishra, his closest aide from Gujarat, the man who was the principal secretary during the unfortunate 2002 Gujarat riots. Post his stint in Delhi as the Union agriculture secretary, he returned back to Gujarat for what was a post retirement offer that Modi had doled out to most of his loyalists.

Mishra, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer and a man of few words, was brought back to Gujarat as the formidable adviser who could guide him on managing state based "babus", their transfers, rewards and suspensions. He was famous as the man who knew how to deal with bureaucrats who did not tow the government line. It was no surprise that he found his way yet again in a key position in the PMO.

Another of Modi's key aides, now joint secretary AK Sharma, was last in news in the infamous snooping scandal in which he was heard discussing with then ATS chief GL Singhal on illegal surveillance on a civilian at Amit Shah's behest.

Sharma, a 1985 batch IPS officer, now in the PMO, was interrogated by the CBI in 2013 in connection with his involvement in obfuscating the Ishrat Jahan investigation allegedly at the behest of the CMO. His conversation featured in a sting operation done by one of Gujarat police officials himself.The last on the list from Gujarat is the most trusted man from the Modi government who allegedly remote controlled the movements of Modi's cabinet in Gujarat keeping him well informed, every appointment social commitment of Modi had the consent of Bhavsar.

All these chosen ones are guided by the man who headed the think-tank, the Vivekanada foundation, AK Doval, now the national security adviser, who helped bolster Modi's ascent to power, the former IB top guy, who is one of the shrewdest minds, known for his selective leaks to the media.It is this coterie which has invited the ire of Modi's cabinet as it single-handedly carries out the decision making for the NDA government. A senior cabinet minister told this journalist a month ago in a candid conversation that Modi's insecurity is obvious when he plants his trusted men in the PMO but does not allow them their own personal staff. "This man who runs the country who was made incharge of the BJP is insecure about a PA; this is the beginning of our disintegration."

In the Vajpayee government, too, there were disagreements between the PMO and LK Advani, the then home minister, but Vajpayee's skills as an administrator, a man who believed in raj dharma, who believed in holding the party's interest above everything else helped keep the party and the government intact.

With the constant surveillance on his own party members, Modi might consolidate his own image, but he has to remember that the road to the PMO was cleared by the ground level cadres and his party members.

Authoritarianism has taken down the tallest and most powerful leaders, Modi clearly might not want to be one. If the party disintegrates, it will take in its tide the man at the top, too. The man in a hurry might want to remember this.