THE HIGH COMMAND

Contrast the BJP High Command's unilateralism with the Congress leadership dithering over whether Siddaramiah should continue as CM in Bangalore or should be replaced by a DK Shivakumar

- Rajdeep Sardesai

N o two words have been as overused (rather misused) in the political lexicon quite like 'High Command'.

Conceptually the idea of a 'High Command' is repugnant to a parliamentary multiparty democracy, reflecting the ascent of the 'elected autocrat'. Traditionally, this word is associated with the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family, with Indira Gandhi being widely seen as the original party 'High Command'. But in a twist in the tale, the contemporary High Command has shifted location from 10 Janpath to 7 Lok Kalyan Marg and 6 A Krishna Menon Marg, the residences of Gujarat and now India's political Jodi number one, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Consider this. Only this week, the BJP chose a national 'working' president in 45 year old Nitin Nabin. No one outside Bihar had paid much attention to the four-time MLA and state minister who is now being described as BJP's 'rising star'. No political commentary while speculating endlessly on 'Kaun Banega BJP adhyaksha' had even remotely mentioned Nabin's name. Suddenly, Nabin's name is announced as 'working' president (Is there anything like a 'nonworking' president?). Faithful BJP karyakartas and leaders gathered to garland him outside the party headquarters in New Delhi to greet Nabin even as some workers confessed that they would have been hard put to recognise him.

And yet, the 'election' of Nabin did not lead to a single dissenting voice. 'We are a disciplined party,' claimed a party leader. Disciplined? Maybe. Democratic? Not quite. The 'selection' of Nabin as BJP working president wasn't done through any rigorous internal party consultation but was decided almost entirely by the Modi-Shah duo, the BJP's unchallenged 'High Command'. The RSS leadership too acquiesced in the nomination of a leader with a staunch sangh parivar family background.