New Delhi: Resentment over the meteoric rise of Narendra Modi continues to simmer within the BJP. While the party on Monday desperately tried to play down the remark by top leader Murli Manohar Joshi that “it’s not a Modi wave, but a BJP wave”, a section within the organisation feels that internal differences could come to the surface again during portfolio distribution if the party comes to power.
If Mr Modi succeeds in forming government, party heavyweights like Dr Joshi or Sushma Swaraj cannot be ignored in the distribution of key portfolios.
Veteran leader L.K. Advani has also made it clear he is in no mood to sit idle. Mr Advani has on record said that he is “willing to play any role that the party asks him to”.
It is an open secret that Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley has opted for the finance ministry as and when the party comes to power. The issue that can trouble a BJP government in its early days is which of its senior leaders would get the other key portfolios of home, defence and external affairs. A tussle over home and external affairs cannot be ruled out.
Mr Jaitley appears tipped for finance. Mr Advani was home minister, as well as deputy prime minister, in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government. Dr Joshi was HRD minister, while Ms Swaraj has held the portfolios of I&B, health and communications.
Some in the party, however, feel that if Mr Modi wins by a comfortable majority, he will prefer to bring in his own people for key posts.
