New Delhi: BJP nationwide basic secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya has had a busy few days in his dwelling state Madhya Pradesh. From belting out bhajans in Harda district and congratulating cricket gamers after the India-Australia blind T20 world cup match in Indore, to accompanying the chief minister to the birthday celebrations of a veteran chief in Damoh, he has been lively.
However Vijayvargiya’s present schedule is a far cry from the times when he was probably the most highly effective leaders within the BJP’s organisational set-up thought of near Union Residence Minister Amit Shah.
Ever because the BJP’s drubbing final 12 months in West Bengal, the place Vijayvargiya had been the celebration in-charge, he has been seemingly divested of any important duties.
Whereas 66-year-old Vijayvargiya did take part within the BJP office-bearers’ meet held in Delhi final week, the place Prime Minister Narendra Modi was additionally current, he’s not entrance and centre within the celebration’s political actions.
Of all of the 9 basic secretaries on the meet, he was the one one who has not been appointed because the in-charge of 1 state or one other.
When requested about this, Vijayvargiya advised ThePrint that he had a full plate. “I’m very lively in MP. I campaigned within the current native physique elections and am now galvanising cadres for the state polls subsequent 12 months and the Lok Sabha elections in 2024,” he stated.
“I’m a employee of the BJP. Regardless of the celebration assigns to me, I attempt to ship. It’s as much as them to resolve my position and utility,” he added.
Whereas Vijayvargiya has been credited with serving to the BJP make inroads in Bengal, the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC’s) victory within the 2021 meeting elections broke a dam of accusations towards him. These ranged from his marketing campaign technique and candidate choice to driving away leaders into the arms of the Trinamool by sidelining them.
State BJP chief Tathagata Roy, former governor of Tripura and Meghalaya, went so far as to name Vijayvargiya the chief of a “pack” that “introduced irrevocable loss to the state”.
Whereas the BJP’s central management continued to defend Vijayvargiya internally, celebration sources have stated they requested him to maintain his distance from West Bengal. Earlier this 12 months, the BJP changed him with two new co-in-charges for the state — Sunil Bansal, who has obtained substantial credit score for serving to the celebration sweep Uttar Pradesh, in August, after which Mangal Pandey in October.
Nonetheless, BJP sources that ThePrint spoke to stated that it will be a mistake to imagine that Vijayvargiya had been put out to pasture for good. They identified that there was a cause he was nonetheless a nationwide basic secretary.
“Vijayvargiya might not have as a lot work now, however he’s nonetheless a basic secretary as a result of the celebration is aware of that he may be helpful in any emergency. The Lok Sabha elections are arising and he may be put to make use of in any state,” a senior central BJP chief stated.
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‘He’s ready for his time…’
At first look, it appears as if the BJP excessive command’s religion in Vijayvargiya has lastly been shaken. After the Bengal election outcomes got here out in Could 2021, the celebration stored him on as state in-charge till as late as August this 12 months, however he didn’t go to the state in all this time.
When he was lastly eliminated as Bengal in-charge, the celebration didn’t delegate duties in another state to him both, regardless of his reputed organisational abilities.
“Amit Shah likes Vijayvargiya, however after the Bengal unit complained about him mismanaging funds and cadres, his place has weakened within the prime minister’s eyes and it’s why he was not deputed to any state,” stated a second central BJP chief.
“The celebration may have used an skilled in-charge in states like Bihar, Rajasthan and Karnataka, however he has been stored ready. It exhibits an absence of belief,” he added.
Nonetheless, different BJP sources say that Vijayvargiya’s organisational abilities haven’t been languishing and that he’s enjoying a serious position in Madhya Pradesh politics.
MP BJP vice-president Jitu Jirati advised ThePrint that Vijayvargiya usually travels across the state to mobilise celebration cadres forward of the approaching meeting elections. “He’s very a lot lively in state celebration actions,” Jirati stated.
Additional, as the primary central BJP chief quoted stated, he’s nonetheless nationwide basic secretary and might be pressed into service at any time.
The identical chief stated that it can’t be forgotten that Vijayvargiya performed a key position in toppling MP’s short-lived Congress authorities in 2020. Again then, senior Congress chief Jyotiraditya Scindia and 22 celebration MLAs resigned from the celebration simply 15 months after the celebration got here to energy and joined the BJP.
Because the political disaster unfolded in March that 12 months, it was Vijayvargiya who was one of many essential males “behind the operation” of squirreling away the Congress rebels in a Gurgaon resort, the BJP chief stated. The BJP ousted the Kamal Nath authorities and got here to energy below the chief ministership of Shivraj Singh Chouhan that very same month.
Vijayvargiya himself has CM ambitions, an MP BJP chief stated.
“He’s ready for his time. If Shivraj Singh Chouhan is changed, a window may open up for him to be a contender for the CM submit. That is the explanation why Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was as soon as an opponent of Vijayvargiya, has warmed up now,” he claimed.
“Vijayvargiya is a greater CM option to venture forward of polls somewhat than [state home minister] Narottam Mishra,” he added. “No different chief has as a lot muscle energy and maintain within the state monetary capital Indore as Vijayvargiya.”
Rise, and stumble from grace
A staunch RSS man, a former mayor of Indore, and a six-time MLA, Vijayvargiya has usually courted controversy together with his utterances, starting from evaluating Shah Rukh Khan to Dawood Ibrahim to claiming that building employees at his home appeared to be Bangladeshis as a result of they had been consuming flattened rice.
Nonetheless, he’s additionally recognized for his environment friendly fashion of working. In 2014, when Vijayvargiya was a minister within the MP cupboard, Amit Shah known as him to Delhi, and shortly thereafter appointed him as in-charge of Haryana for the meeting polls that 12 months. The BJP gained and shaped a authorities for the primary time within the state.
One in all Vijayvargiya’s accomplishments at the moment was to persuade the Dera Sacha Sauda, a controversial however influential non secular sect, to assist the BJP, which helped the celebration win some seats.
Impressed with Vijayvargiya’s efficiency, Shah tasked him subsequent with venture West Bengal and appointed him because the state in-charge in 2015. It appeared to be a sensible choice. Within the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the celebration gained 18 out of 42 seats within the state, with its vote-share going up from 10 per cent to 40 per cent.
The 2021 state elections, nevertheless, proved to be a disappointing train despite the fact that the celebration gained 77 out of the 294 seats, which was nonetheless much better than its earlier tally of three in 2016.
Nonetheless, the rumblings within the state BJP unit towards Vijayvargiya had been arduous for the celebration’s excessive command to disregard. One of many elements inflicting discontent was the significance accorded to Trinamool turncoats after which the next return of a number of of them to the victorious celebration. Among the many outstanding faces who switched to the Trinamool had been MLA Mukul Roy (who had additionally been within the celebration earlier) and former Union minister Babul Supriyo.
From Tathagata Roy and Dilip Ghosh to Arvind Menon and Shiv Menon, a number of BJP leaders blamed Vijayvargiya for the state unit being in disarray. The BJP then put in movement an organisational overhaul within the state, together with changing Dilip Ghosh with Sukanta Majumdar as state president in September final 12 months.
Vijayvargiya, nevertheless, was phased out extra slowly. He kind of disappeared from the state after counting day, however was stored on as state in-charge till this August, after which he’s but to be absolutely rehabilitated by the excessive command.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
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