New Delhi:
The BJP has buried Varun Gandhi's hate-speech-filled past for its own future. And it's all in the last name.
The RSS is obsessed with Rahul Gandhi, and Varun's mandate as one of the BJP's new Secretaries is to work in Uttar Pradesh and set up a battle royale with his older cousin. (
Read: Gadkari, RSS differ over his new team)
BJP Chief Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad, who announced the new list of BJP officebearers on Tuesday, would only say about Varun: "He is an MP, let us forget the past."
New party president Nitin Gadkari's team is in place but not without some last-minute hiccups. The RSS contested his first list. Gadkari met the RSS top brass barely two hours before releasing his list. Some changes were made. And finally, the old guard led by LK Advani triumphed.
Advani's detractors Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie, who led a public attack on the leadership after the party's loss in the general elections, have been left out in the cold. And loyalists Anant Kumar and Vasundhra Raje, who challenged the previous party president, are General Secretaries.
In the party's most powerful body the parliamentary board - Advani and the RSS have the same numbers. And Advani still controls the core group.
A delicate balance was attempted, with the old guard led by LK Advani not edged out as feared. Advani's detractors Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie have been left out in the cold. And loyalists Anant Kumar and Vasundhra Raje are General Secretaries.
Apart from Varun, hardliner Vinay Katiyar finds place in the team as a Vice-President.
The list has a few mass leaders like Vasundhra Raje and BS Koshiyari. That shows that though the Sangh's choice of workers is not personality-based, Gadkari, desperate to make people identify with the party, has given in to promoting personalities.
So Hema Malini is Vice President and Navjot Singh Siddhu, Smriti Irani and Kiron Kher are Secretaries.
The list is a balancing act between regions and castes. It has many new faces. But with no Arun-Jaitley-like spin doctor and no Sushma-Swaraj-like orator, it does lack charisma. For Gadkari, however, ending the infighting within the party is the more immediate concern and if the new team helps do that, he shall be happy.
Gadkari's new team also attempts to address inherent party weaknesses. It has leaders from all regions, it has more women, Muslims.
And to be the voice of the party and fight the media battle, Gadkari has handpicked seven spokesmen - bringing in former minister and Muslim poster boy Shahnawaz Hussain and Tarun Vijay, former editor of the RSS mouthpiece, the Panchjanya.
For the full list,
click here.