By Sidharth

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in a fix. The party that was hitherto sharpening its arsenal against the ruling UPA has lost its sheen. The party is maintaining silence even in core issue like corruption, thanks to its national president Nitin Gadkeri.

Gadkeri has been accused of financial irregularities on various counts. Incidentally the allegations have come up at a time when the opposition party was gearing up to take on the congress-led UPA government at the center on a series of multi-billion corruption cases.

The Coal field related corruption charges and the Purti episode have cast a dense shadow over Gadkari and the party. In the coal block allocation scandal BJP Rajya Sabha member Ajay Sancheti, the right-hand man of Nitin Gadkari got a jolt. In Purti, a company owned by Gadkari was accused of various charges related to financial irregularities and misappropriation.

But Gadkari looked little perturbed. He showed no sign of relinquishing his position as party chief, rather was hobnobbing with his RSS bosses to reign those who were gearing up for a revolt within the party for his ouster.

Gadkari maintained, “I am an honest man, I will not resign.” To ascertain his “honesty”  Gadkari produced a “clean chit”  from S Gurumurthy, a Chennai based charted accountant known for his RSS leanings. Gurumurthy, who looked into the charges against Gadkari, found “no moral or legal wrongdoing” in Purti Group’s financial dealings.

However the ‘clean chit’ could not contain the voice of resentment from within the BJP.  Senior party leaders like Ram Jethmalani and Yeshwant Sinha openly demanded ouster of  Gadkari. Mahesh Jethmalani, a member of the BJP national executive resigned from his party positions in protest. Jagdeesh Shettigar, another national level leader from the party also demanded Gankari step down from the top post. The Bihar strongman Shatrughan Sinha also aired his dissent on Gadkari continuing as party chief.

Gandkari’s continuation as party chief has dented BJP’s armor. The saffron brigade that was readying its garrison for an all potent electoral battle in the 2014 general election is now forced to spending its entire energy defending its scam tainted president, Nitin Gadkari.

“Though Gadkari who claims to be devout RSS swayamsevak (selfless volunteer), should have opted to step down till he is cleared of the corruption charges. He at the helm will only dampen the party’s anti-corruption crusade” feels a BJP-RSS supporter.

There are many in the party leadership who feel Gadkari has to follow the footsteps of L K Advani.  BJP national executive member Dr Jagdish Shettigar had openly said the party president  should have  take a cue from senior party leader LK Advani who resigned from the Lok Sabha in the nineties after similar charges were leveled against him. “We have the example set by Advani ji. In the interest of the nation and the organisation whatever is the required action it will be taken as that is what we are taught in the Sangh (RSS).”

The BJP is today rudderless.  The party once known for its internal discipline is perfect planning is mired in internal bickering and power struggle. The party that ruled the country just a decade back is now shambles. Leaders with little mass base and hardly any ideological commitment are ruling the roost. With the present day party leadership unwilling be assertive and patriarchs like L K Advani being increasingly sidelined, the political pundits predict a gloomy electoral future for the BJP.   Electorate, despite their apathy to the Congress-led UPA, may not chose  the saffron party, thanks to its  double standards on grave issues like corruption.