Putting in the requisite number of years as a party grassroots worker, or as a RSS pracharak, is rightly one of the criteria that lead on to future leadership roles in the BJP. Belonging to the right caste in a constituency also matters as in the absence of other dominant factors people generally tend to vote for their community. At the same time, however, leadership ability should be the final quality, without which important responsibility should not be handed over to anybody. It is not just vital for BJP to be recognised as a party that allows persons to rise in its ranks irrespective of their background; it should also ensure its chosen leaders are actually capable of doing their job, thereby expanding the support base.
The time is approaching for BJP to select its candidates for the five Lok Sabha seats from Uttarakhand. While doing so, it will have to walk the tightrope between ‘winnability’ and pure ability. In the case of incumbents, their performance at various levels will have to be taken into account. Consider the case of the MP from Pauri Garhwal, Tirath Singh Rawat, who came into the limelight on Thursday, once again, for the wrong reasons when he got into an altercation with an officer managing Home Minister Amit Shah’s security. Given the opportunity to be the State’s Chief Minister, he made a mess of it within the short span of around four months and had to be replaced. Will not other, more able leaders in the party be chafing at the bits to present an alternative? Will the party deny them an opportunity for the sake of ‘continuity’, ‘caste’, ‘seniority’, etc.?
And how would the Tehri Garhwal MP Mala Rajyalakshmi score when it comes to performing her designated role, even though some may still consider her ‘winnability’ quotient as high because of her royal antecedents? Is Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ the best choice for what is the undoubtedly complex constituency of Haridwar? Uttarakhand needs development according to the highest 21st Century standards and, while it can be said the double-engine concept is working fine, do not local MPs have a role to play? What part are the incumbents playing, for instance, in the ongoing battle of ideologies regarding the ‘Idea of India’? It should not be left to just a handful of members to carry the party’s standard in the Lok Sabha. When did the people last hear them delivering a rousing speech in support of anything? Is that the extent of Uttarakhand’s abilities or can the state do better?
