The Telegraph
December 24, 2006
Sangh men to crowd party
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Lucknow, Dec. 23: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s bid to tighten its grip on the BJP to a stranglehold was formally approved by the party’s highest decision-making body today.
The BJP amended its constitution allowing the Sangh representatives in the party not only to double their number but also to call the shots in the state units.
The number of Sangh men rises even at the top level. For instance, the national organising secretary — a post now occupied by Sangh pracharak Sanjay Joshi — will have two more Sangh whole-timers assisting him.
Except the BJP president, party leaders at the national, state and district levels have been stripped of whatever control they had over the Sangh pracharaks on deputation to the party. More powers have been vested in the state unit organising secretaries, most of whom are Sangh men.
The amendments strengthen the BJP chief — incumbent Rajnath Singh is a Sangh favourite — who now has sole authority to appoint or remove Sangh nominees as party organising secretaries from the district level upwards. This means district and state BJP leaders lose their power to remove Sangh functionaries from their units.
The amendment comes at a time when many state BJP leaders have been locked in power struggles with the organising secretaries.
In Madhya Pradesh, for example, the feud between the all-powerful organising secretary, Kaptan Singh Solanki, and Uma Bharti had been a constant source of worry for the BJP central leadership till she left the party.
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