The Telegraph, April 28 , 2013
by RADHIKA RAMASESHAN
New Delhi, April 27: If there was one big political takeaway from Friday’s turnout of clerics at Ramdev’s Yog Peeth in Haridwar to back Narendra Modi as the BJP’s Prime Minister candidate, it was a certificate handed out by Sri Sri Vishwesara Teerth Swami of Udupi’s Pejawar Math.
In Modi, the swami glimpsed “Ram” and “Krishna” who, he claimed, would together take on the UPA’s “Ravana of corruption”.
The swami’s presence was bad news for L.K. Advani and his cabal in the BJP. For years, Advani, Ananth Kumar and M. Venkaiah Naidu — Kumar and Naidu are MPs from Karnataka where the Pejawar Math is housed — were his votaries. To an extent, the pontiff helped Advani stave off the VHP’s attacks for praising Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
The first sign that the Udupi swami had divined that Modi’s stars were shining in the Sangh was when another old follower of his, Uma Bharti, changed her tune on the Gujarat chief minister.
Until recently, Uma has consistently pitched for Advani as Prime Minister.
On April 21, she told journalists in Bhopal that Modi was a “strong” leader and, therefore, the “right” candidate to address the nation’s insecurities arising out of clashes on the Indo-Pak border, Maoist insurgency, terrorism, corruption and so on. She ticked off Nitish Kumar for speaking out against Modi.
BJP sources said the change in Uma was “induced” by the Udupi swami.
Uma reminded Nitish that he never thought twice about sharing public space with her despite her identification with Hindutva and “my refusal to apologise for my role in the Ayodhya movement”. So why was he raising the Gujarat violence whenever Modi’s name cropped up?
The Pejawar Math swami has conspicuously abstained from intervening in the Karnataka polls, signalling that he was “unhappy” with the state of affairs in the BJP, a source said.
His presence in Haridwar was not the only sign of impending trouble for Advani and his team, said sources.
As the BJP prepares for a debacle in Karnataka, the knives are being sharpened for Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Kumar in the blame-game that normally follows a setback. Sources alleged the trio were “responsible” for B.S. Yeddyurappa’s ouster that is projected to cost the BJP heavily.
In Bangalore yesterday, Uma urged the BJP brass to shed their “egos” and get Yeddyurappa back into the party.
Regardless of the impending storm in Karnataka, Modi — he has addressed just one meeting in Bangalore and that too on a request from Karnataka leaders — was “determinedly” thrusting himself into the national frame, “unruffled” by the noises against him from within the NDA, said sources.
Sources said he was likely to be appointed campaign committee head in June, a post that will “ratify” his veto in candidates’ selection and other crucial areas. “We did not want to do it before Karnataka. Once it is done, it will be clear to Advani and the others that the BJP means business,” a source said.
In Gandhinagar today, Modi commented at length on the Centre’s “failed” foreign policy on the sidelines of an official event. He reportedly said that as the Centre was “preoccupied in saving itself”, it had no time to save Indians in incidents like the legal battle over the Italian marines, beheading of Indian soldiers on the Pakistan border, Chinese “incursions” and Sarabjit Singh’s plight in a Pakistan jail.
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