Varun: Falling stock?

Mumbai, Dec. 27: What has Rajnath Singh got to do with the Congress’s “first family”? BJP insiders point to Varun Gandhi’s falling stock by way of an answer.

Varun was absent from the BJP’s grand mela for the first two days. He arrived in Mumbai late last night and came to the venue briefly today. Sources said he would be flying away tonight because he is not comfortable with the change of equations within the BJP. He did not stay at the venue like the rest of the delegates but chose to spend the night with a friend at Mumbai’s upmarket Malabar Hills area.

Varun was the BJP’s answer to Rahul Gandhi, especially in the context of Uttar Pradesh where he campaigned energetically in the last Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP had deliberately touted him as “our Gandhi”. While Rahul and Priyanka drew huge crowds in the state, Varun did his bit to put up a show for the party his family has abhorred for generations.

But the equations have changed drastically since then. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has tightened its grip and the focus has shifted to an austere, people-oriented brand of politics symbolised by the choice of Rajnath as the new party president.

Rajnath has very little time for the kind of pomp and glamour that the second generation “smart set” was seen to be promoting in recent years.

The change is reflected in the manner in which the silver jubilee celebrations were downgraded this year. The party is, say insiders, bracing itself for a different style of functioning which has little space for the kind of politics Varun is largely associated with. With Rajnath making it clear that Uttar Pradesh is going to be his “karm bhoomi”, Varun is clearly out of depth.

Party thanks Advani

The BJP today passed a resolution formally thanking L.K. Advani and expressing gratitude for taking the party to glorious heights.

At the last session of the national executive, Advani thanked party colleagues for their support. In response, senior party leader Jagdish Mathur moved a proposal that the national executive adopt a resolution formally thanking him for building the party organisation. Advani said it would make him feel uncomfortable if the party moved such a resolution but all the national executive members gave him a standing ovation and unanimously passed the resolution.