Swamy in Rajya Sabha is Modi's way of reining in Jaitley
There is one of the most enduring rivalries of Indian politics, especially within the saffron brigade. The soft-spoken, suave, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley against the irrepressible devil-may-care Subramanian Swamy. One the legal brain and a key political manager of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The other a darling of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), considered by many as the enfant terrible of Indian politics.
Their disdain for each other is one of the worst kept secrets in the capital's political corridors. Swamy will be sworn in as a member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, along with five other colleagues in the nominated category - senior journalist Swapan Dasgupta, former Test cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, Olympic medallist Mary Kom, Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi and economist Narendra Jadhav.
There are 12 nominated MPs in the 245-member Upper House, and currently there are seven vacancies. But the most intriguing mix is Jaitley and Swamy, who don't even like to be in the room together, now sitting on the same side in the Upper House. Three of the nominated members, Swamy, Sidhu and Gopi are likely to join the BJP legislature party in the days ahead.
Though they have been made MPs from the nominated category, under the rules, the nominated MPs can exercise the option of joining a political party of their choice. They will not be the first of their kind to do so. Wrestler and actor Dara Singh joined the BJP soon after being nominated, as did film star Hema Malini.
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| Swamy will now have to rein in his aggressive instincts to fall in with the party line. |
Mani Shankar Aiyar and Bhalchandra Mungekar joined the Congress after being nominated in 2010. However, it's the dynamics of the Swamy-Jaitley relationship and how it will play out in the Upper House that has generated a considerable buzz. For somebody who makes little effort to disguise his opinion of the Union finance minister, Swamy will now have to work under the leadership of Jaitley who is also the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha.
For somebody who has patented the art of tilting at the windmills, Swamy will now have to rein in his aggressive instincts to fall in with the party line, which incidentally will be decided by Jaitley by virtue of being the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. Those who know Swamy know that it will take some doing on his part. Swamy's nomination has also given rise to all kinds of speculation in political circles.
Modi is well aware of the mutual dislike that both Jaitley and Swamy have for each other. Swamy believes the Union finance minister was instrumental in first stalling his entry into the party, and then spiking his chances of being fielded as the party's candidate from one of the seats in Delhi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Those close to the Union finance minister view him as a maverick and a loose cannon. Modi's decision to nominate him to the Upper House is being attributed to the RSS and is perhaps a move by the prime minister to keep Jaitley in check, and ensure that no camp dominates the other within his government.