Indiscipline will not be tolerated: New BJP chief

While the elevation of Nitin Gadkari to the post of BJP chief will bring about its own set of changes in the party, as is normally the

case anywhere, the change of guard as evident in Gadkari's first official interaction with the media in Delhi couldn't have been more stark.

If his predecessor Rajnath Singh came across as a man who took himself so seriously that most of his energy was perhaps consumed in keeping a stiff upper lip, Gadkari was like a whiff of fresh air. The man from Nagpur exuded the kind of warmth, laced with enough hinterland wit and humour, that could help him win over apathetic party workers, something which he said was his primary task alongwith checking rising indiscipline.

Gadkari, who has the advantage of starting on a clean slate, appeared affable, approachable and a man who had no pretensions to being a national level leader. He kept repeating how he had been taken aback by the cold of Delhi which he had not experienced before, but it was clear that he was not going to be burdened by the weight of expectations. He insisted he was first and foremost a `karyakarta' (worker) and that no indiscipline in the party would be tolerated. "Indiscipline is a matter of execution and not discussion," he said.

Gadkari spoke candidly, at one point even admitting that the party gives tickets to candidates who can win and the winning candidate may not always be in sync with the party philosophy (We learn by trial and error method), but also deftly handled tough questions on issues like Ram mandir, involvement of RSS in the party and bringing back leaders like Uma Bharati.

Gadkari preferred not to speak about the temple issue, saying that it was the BJP which thrashed out issues with RSS rathern than Nagpur dictating to the party. He also said he would look at the question of bringing back leaders when it arises. To a question on Hindutva, he said it was not just a religion but a code of conduct. Gadkari had to make all the right noises and this he did with aplomb, emphasising on discipline, merit, decentralisation of power and the need to reward performers.

Probably the only question which ruffled him a bit was on how people like Gadkari himself and Arun Jaitley, who had "failed" in Maharashtra and Delhi respectively, were being rewarded by the party. "We believe in the policy of collective responsibility. No one person can be blamed for failure in elections. What I mean by performers is people who are willing to work and give their best for the party," he said, adding that discipline and mutual trust would be the cornerstone of BJP's functioning.

There were also enough one-liners. "Politics is an instrument for social reform," was one of them. Another one was that you can donate eyes but you cannot donate vision. "Between purse and person, person is more important; between person and party, party is important and between party and philosophy, sidhant or philosophy is sacrosanct," was yet another one. For good measure, he "pledged" that he would neither join Rajya Sabha nor contest any election for at least three years.

While a journalist was asking him a question on his emphasis on transparency, he shot back, "That does not mean I will answer your question in a transparent manner." He fondly recollected how as Maharashtra party chief he would move around on a scooter in Nagpur trying to gauge the mood of voters.