Men behind the juggernaut

Arun Jaitley, a very expressive person otherwise, is a very modest person when it comes to victories. BJP President Rajnath Singh might not be as suave as Jaitley but he is good at organization and believes in working quietly and diligently. Both are backed by a dedicated team of workers and the result is showing. One after another this team has been notching up victories.

It makes an unlikely team but Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley make a formidable combination. Together they are delivering not only knock out punches to the Congress while putting the party once again on a high pedestal.

Of the two, in fact, Arun Jaitley appears to the man with the Midas touch. Look what he has done. He was there in Gujarat in 2002 to help Narendra Modi draw a strategy, in 2003 he was in Madhya Pradesh, 2004 in Karnataka, 2005 in Bihar to break the hold of Laloo Yadav, in Punjab in 2007 and now again in Karnataka to ensure that this time BJP romps home on its own. In fact, it needs to be pointed out that it was the BJP that delivered the killer blow to the Congress in Punjab or else the Congress would have retained power as it had trumped the Akali Dal in the rural areas. The Akalis had believed that that like in 1997, the role BJP would be limited and it would hand out doles to it. Arun Jaitley had correctly assessed the disenchantment of the urban voters and had therefore urged his team to work harder. The result is that today it is the Akali Dal that has to look towards the BJP for help.

In fact, along with Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley presents not only the younger face of the BJP but also breaks the stereotype of the gone by era. While Rajnath Singh remains essentially the traditional face of the party with his commitment to culture, tradition and vocal support for the Hindu nationalism it is Arun Jaitley who represents the modern face. A successful lawyer, he is comfortable in all situations and circumstances. At ease in his kurta pyjama as well as the western dress, he holds his own in any debating club. In fact, his style of working not being volatile is in sharp contrast to that of the late Pramod Mahajan who for long stood the symbol of new BJP. However, his association with some characters of dubious nature had raised many an eyebrows within and outside the party.

Nothing of the sort wit Jaitley. He has built a team of dedicated workers around him that helps him to sift through the feed backs and surveys and read the finer print. He is said to have opened a number of channels to get information on all those aspiring for party tickets. Thus in all the States that he has been in charge of he has been able to identify winning candidates more frequently than any one else does. This also needs to be attributed to the fact that he has no axe of his own to grind. Thus an objective decision in the interest of the party is made. Personal spheres of influences are not needed by him for he is always focused on the larger picture. This explains how he achieved the miracle of getting old rivals Ananth Kumar and Yeddyurappa to join hands and campaign in a united manner.

Along with Rajnath Singh, Jaitley has been plugging the loopholes during the campaigns. Both decide on which leader should be visiting which area so that the maximum impact is reaped. Even more significant is that this team does not try to take any credit for success nor does it attempt to cast aspersions on others for failures. It is this that has helped them in forging a strong team.

This does not mean that the BJP does not have brash side to its leadership. There are any number of arrogant, brash and boastful leaders but fortunately when it matters most they are kept in check. Thus there are any number of BJP leaders who can be thrown in a debate on any subject depending upon the need to bloody an opponent’s nose to putting a point firmly but suavely.

The BJP today has a leadership that is reaping the benefit of experience of leaders like Atal Behari Vajpayee and Lal Krishan Advani. But make no mistake that the younger lot represented by Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley has a mind and tools of its own and they match the best that go around.