The Bharatiya Janata Party is leaving Hindutva behind and seeks to replace the Congress by becoming more like it. The party’s strategy to become the principal pole of Indian politics hinges on it being able to expand its support base, party president Nitin Gadkari said at the BJP National Executive meeting here on Thursday.
The BJP strategy hinges on three imperatives, according to Mr Gadkari: expansion of support base in states where the party is traditionally weak, increase in the party’s overall vote share by at least 10 per cent, and expansion of the National Democratic Alliance.
Mr Gadkari pointed out Goa’s example to stress the need for expanding the BJP support base among religious minorities.
“In Goa, the BJP succeeded in ousting the Congress in the recent Assembly elections as the party has succeeded in winning the support of a large section of the minority…Nine of our MLAs there (out of 21)are from the minority community. Learning from the Goa experience, I would like all our party units to intensify similar efforts to win the trust of our sisters and brothers belonging to minority communities,”
Mr Gadkari, who is known for his proximity to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, said.
He also called upon the party to begin preparations for elections to the next Lok Sabha, “irrespective of whether they are held in 2014 or earlier”. Towards this end, he stressed on unity, discipline and dedication.
Lack of unity among the party’s leaders was evident on day one itself, as Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi refused to attend until party leader Sanjay Joshi, who had been brought to the national executive by Gadkari, resigned. Joshi, who was an RSS pracharak in Gujarat like Modi, eventually had to quit. Mr Modi arrived in Mumbai a few hours later.
Former Karnataka CM B.S. Yeddyurappa, who was also absent from the national executive on day one, told reporters in Bengaluru that Mr Modi ought to be promoted as the party’s prime ministerial candidate.
Former RSS swayamsevak Gadkari, whose three-year term as party president is due to end soon, is likely to get a second term. This will need a change to the party constitution.
The National Executive passed four resolutions on the first day, on agriculture, the economy, drought and Kashmir.