New Delhi/Bengaluru: Former Union minister and six-time MP Anantkumar Hegde is the latest among ‘firebrand’ leaders missing from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) list of 407 candidates for the Lok Sabha election.
Known for his fiery speeches, often targeting minorities, Hegde was one of the earliest poster boys of Hindutva in Karnataka. But his style of politics, which gained him notoriety and recognition and even a place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, also led to his downfall. Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri was instead chosen this time for the Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha seat.
Others on this list — or, not in it — are Pragya Thakur from Madhya Pradesh, Parvesh Sahib Singh and Ramesh Bidhuri from Delhi, Prathap Simha and Nalin Kumar Kateel from Karnataka among others who vociferously propagated polarising narratives or courted controversies.
The decision to drop some of these sitting MPs, senior BJP leaders say, was because of the “awkward” situation some of them put themselves and the party in.
“For the party, winnability is definitely the focus but the leadership also ensured that those who had put the party in a spot due to their provocative statements and created unnecessary controversies were also kept out of the list. In this, whether it is Pragya Thakur, MP from Bhopal, or Ramesh Bidhuri who was always in the spotlight for his controversial remarks whether in public or even in Parliament. The party also denied tickets to all those MPs, due to which it had to come on the backfoot,” said a central BJP leader.
Also Read: In its latest list, BJP fields Dharmendra Pradhan & Naveen Jindal, drops Gen VK Singh & Varun Gandhi
‘Realm of maryada’
In the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Thakur had compared Ashok Chakra awardee and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare with Ravan and Kans. Karkare was killed during the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks because he was ‘cursed’ for arresting her in a case relating to the 2008 Malegaon blast case, she had said.
Whether it was urging Hindus to keep weapons at home to give befitting replies to those who attack their homes or calling Nathuram Godse a ‘patriot’, Thakur never held back.
Bidhuri was pulled up for his communal slurs against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali, now with the Congress, on the floor of the Lok Sabha.
“During the cabinet meetings, during the Parliamentary party or even in BJP’s internal meetings, the PM used to make it a point to highlight that the focus should not be on them but the policies and development work carried out by the government,” said another senior BJP leader.
“Whether it is Thakur, Bidhuri or Verma, all three created unnecessary controversies not only outside but inside Parliament too. The action in dropping these big names is to show that everyone needs to follow certain rules and at a time when the party is facing a joint opposition, it won’t take any chances.”
Earlier this month, Hegde said that the BJP needs 400 seats to help get a majority in the Rajya Sabha and change the Constitution. The BJP distanced itself from this remark, terming it as the MPs personal opinion which did not reflect that of the party.
In an interview with ThePrint, Hegde said he stood by his 2017 remarks to change the Constitution, unwilling to soften his stand on an issue that cost him his ministerial berth.
Political analysts also point out that this is PM Modi’s way of ensuring a certain decorum is maintained and that the focus remains on the work of the government and the party, not the individual.
“PM Modi has been pointing it out for quite some time and even in his cabinet meetings and parliamentary party meetings, he told BJP MPs to not make any controversial statements. He has rather asked them to focus on policy related issues and issues of development. This has, in fact, become a part of the political design of the BJP. In fact, the PM has been asking parliamentarians to follow a basic code of conduct of BJP politics which is to not make any provocative statement,” Badri Narayan, political analyst and professor, Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad, told ThePrint.
“The elected MPs at a time had started thinking that they can do anything and that they will get away with it as they can win their constituency. By denying tickets to a number of such controversial MPs, the PM has shown zero tolerance for those who engage in controversial statements. In a way, the PM is setting an example and this will ensure that MPs follow it. Opposing something is fine, but it has to be done in the realm of ‘maryada’. The MPs are not only representing themselves but the party and the PM too.”
A third BJP leader said in many cases, anti-Muslim comments impacted relations beyond the country’s shores. “India and the UAE, for instance, have developed a very close partnership. In fact, India has been engaged very closely with all Gulf nations. Controversial statements hurt these relations. At a time when the party is confident of returning to power, it doesn’t want to carry this baggage and hence these leaders were dropped,” the leader said.
‘Firebrands not a rare resource for BJP’
The cold shoulder to a section of so-called firebrand leaders is just a coincidence and not a reflection of any re-think within the BJP about its polarising tactics, say some analysts.
For instance, Tejasvi Surya and Shobha Karandlaje have secured tickets from Bengaluru. A prominent Hindutva figure, Madhavi Latha is the BJP’s candidate to take on Asaduddin Owaisi of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in Hyderabad.
“I don’t think the party’s decision to drop some of them has anything to do with them being firebrands. In each case, the reasons are different,” A.Narayana, political analyst and faculty at Bengaluru’s Azim Premji University, told ThePrint.
He added that firebrand leaders are ‘dime-a-dozen’ within the BJP and that leaders who largely maintain a persona of hard line Hindutva are “not a rare resource”.
Most of the leaders dropped are not first-time MPs either and have secured tickets in previous elections in spite of wading into controversies.
“Just because the BJP has dropped some of them does not mean it will stay away from such kind of politics. They have a number of people who can fill these spaces,” Narayana asserted.
However, one of the BJP leaders claimed that the denial of tickets was more to do with keeping anti-incumbency in mind as the party wants to meet the target of ‘400 paar’ and not because of the statements made by the leaders.
“Every seat counts and owing to anti-incumbency, it was felt that some sitting MPs should be replaced. It had nothing to do with their comments. For instance, Ramesh Bidhuri was given poll responsibility for a district in Rajasthan after the controversy. Similarly, Parvesh Verma has been made co-incharge of Rajasthan election, and Bidhuri has also been made co-incharge of Uttar Pradesh, which is a significant state for the party,” countered the leader.
“Yes, as far as Pragya Thakur is concerned, there were complaints regarding her from the state unit itself.”
The BJP also maintains that a number of these leaders were in fact “punished” for putting the party in a spot.
“There are certain guidelines and norms which are to be followed by all whether you are an MP, minister or party office bearers. You have to adhere to the party line and if you cross the. Party takes a call on that,” said R.P. Singh, national party spokesperson of the BJP.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Congress fields Kharge’s son-in-law from Kalaburagi, gives tickets to children of Karnataka ministers