Arun Jaitley

He’s the man who could be king. Arun Jaitley, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, is not just the BJP’s moderate face, its voice when it comes to crucial issues and the urbane face of the future. He’s also its main strategist. How he deals with Nitin Gadkari is another story…

The BJP president, Nitin Gadkari, has been quoted as saying that he could look at the options of bringing back Govindacharya and Uma Bharti?
There is no such issue before the party at this moment.

What do you have to say about the generational shift in the party?
Change is a natural process. This is the same for all political parties. The same thing has happened in the BJP.

And the new BJP chief?
Nitin Gadkari is young and dynamic. He is known for his achievements in Maharashtra. He has goodwill and is
known for his quality of leadership.
The BJP is reportedly controlled by the RSS...
This is an overstated statement. We have a close relationship with the RSS. This does not mean the RSS interferes with the functioning of the BJP. There is no question of that.

Which path should the BJP take — pro-Hindutva or a secular line?
The only path the BJP has chosen is for the welfare and betterment of people. This is what the party has been doing since its inception. There has never been an imbalance in the BJP.

(Interviews by Yojna Gusai )