BJP National Executive in Mumbai from May 24

Focus on reorienting organisation, cohesion?

Pramod Kumar

The two-day BJP national executive meeting beginning in Mumbai from May 24 has special significance this time. It is the first national executive meeting after assembly polls in five states—Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur. Apart from discussing the party’s victory in Goa and Punjab, and also assessing loss of power in Uttarakhand with just one seat as well as poor show in Uttar Pradesh, the party will chalk out the strategy for the forthcoming assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. There may also be extensive discussion on organisational polls due this year. Over 500 delegates, including Chief Ministers, Deputy Chief Ministers, Leaders of Opposition and party state unit chiefs, etc will attend the meeting, which will conclude with a public meeting on May 25.
According to party spokesperson Shri Prakash Jawadekar, three resolutions on different issues would be passed at the meeting—one on the current political situation and another one on economic scenario. A resolution on the current crisis faced by farmers and the drought situation in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka may seek a package for them. Since the organisational elections are due this year, a decision on it will also be taken. “This process takes month long time as the elections are conducted from booth level to the national level. The whole exercise is aimed at strengthening the organisation,” said Shri Ramlal, BJP organising secretary.
If Shri Nitin Gadkari is given another term as party president, the party constitution will have to be amended accordingly. As per the current rules, a BJP president gets only one term of three years. There is no provision for a second consecutive term for the incumbent. However, it is widely being felt in the party that three year’s is too short a time for the national president to implement his plans. An amendment in the party constitution to this effect, if cleared, will help Shri Gadkari to steer the party in the 2014 general elections. As per the party rules, only the national council can make amendment in the constitution and decide on crucial issues like giving extension or another term to the party chief. Shri Gadkari was named party president in 2009.
“There will definitely be discussion on the organisational elections. This whole process is focused on strengthening the organisation. In the past too, the decision to give second term to the national president had been taken to give more time to the national president. However this was stopped after several years. If the national council feels necessary, it may be reintroduced now,” Shri Jawadekar added.
BJP national office bearers approved the agenda for the national executive meeting in New Delhi on May 11.  “Many issues that would form the agenda of the meeting were discussed at the meeting. The strategy for coming assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh was also discussed even as party office-bearers assessed the recent assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur,” Shri Jawadekar said.
“There is no surety about the stability of the UPA government. It lacks total coordination at all levels. There are many power centres and no minister appears to be discharging his/her duty responsibly. The government has failed to take decision on many vital issues concerning the nation. It appears bent on snatching the rights of the states through several legislations. It failed to arrest the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities. It has basically become difficult for the aam adami to survive today and there seems to be none in the government to pay attention to their woes. The political resolution to be adopted at the national executive meeting will highlight all these aspects in detail and will force the government to act or get out the way,” Shri Jawadekar added.
Despite suicides by lakhs of farmers over the years and emerging new challenges before the farmers, there is bumper wheat production in many states this year. But the UPA government is so much irresponsible that it failed to provide even adequate gunny bags to the state governments for wheat procurement. The Madhya Pradesh Government had sought 2.69 lakh bales of gunny bags from the Centre but only 50,000 bales of gunny bags have been supplied so far.
As a result the wheat is lying in the open at different procurement centres across the country. The major concern is that in case it rains the wheat lying in open will rot. “This shows acute insensitivity on the part of the Congress-led central government. What will you expect from the government which cannot calculate even the foodgrain production? Shri Nitin Gakdari has rightly alleged that this could be part of a larger conspiracy to help the forces which deliberately want the wheat to be rotten. There is a dire need to pay sincere attention to resolving the woes of gaon (village), garib (poor) and kisan (farmer). We have decided to bring a special resolution at the national executive on this apathy towards the farmers, agriculture and the villages,” said Shri Jawadekar.
The three states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are facing severe drought. The situation is terrible in Maharashtra where nine of its key districts, including Sangli, Solapur, Satara, Osmanabad, Latur, Pune, Dhule, Nashik and Ahmadnagar are reeling under drought. Forty-one Gram Panchayat leaders heading 441 villages have warned the Maharashtra government to push for a merger with neighbouring Karnataka if steps were not taken to provide them with adequate relief. The reason why they are keen to join Karnataka is because “they will get free seeds and their electricity bills will be waived off, if they do so”. However, the situation in Karnataka has also taken a turn for the worse since several parts of the state are reeling under severe water shortage caused by rainfall deficiency. The situation is equally grim in parts of Andhra Pradesh where farmers are facing growing water scarcity. In this situation the people of these states need immediate help. Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Shri Gopinath Munde may move a resolution on this issue.
The economic condition of the country is seen so much poor that some economists feel that the country may have to mortgage gold as was done during the regime of Chandrasekhar in 1990s to save the economy. The rupee has hit all time low. The small scale industries are heading towards closer and the FDI in retail is going to hit the retailers very adversely. Now some of the big companies have started shifting to foreign countries. It is because of the non-cooperation by the central government. The economic resolution to be brought at the meeting will highlight all these aspects, added Shri Jawadekar.
Since President Smt Pratibha Patil’s term ends on July 24, this will be the last meeting of BJP national executive before the Presidential poll. The Presidential poll being of so much political significance for the country, the meeting may deliberate in detail on all the aspects of this crucial issue. “There is every possibility of mid-term polls in the country after the President’s elections. The BJP has started gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls. Prior to it, the organisation has to be strengthened and the workers have to be energised. This work is going on in full swing,” added Shri Jawadekar.?