The Hindu : Mahajan given two key party positions

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 31, 2003

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Mahajan given two key party positions

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JAN 30. Two key positions in the BJP — secretary of the Parliamentary Board, the top decision-making body, and secretary of the central election committee, which finalises party candidates for all elections and takes decisions on election strategy — were today given to the former Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Pramod Mahajan.

The party president, Venkaiah Naidu, made the announcement after formally appointing Mr. Mahajan as general secretary and chief party spokesperson.

As Mr. Mahajan himself stated later: he was exactly where he was in 1998 when the BJP made its first bid for power at the Centre. And this time his job would be to ensure that his party stays in power after 2004.

The party's goal, as stated by Mr. Naidu, was cornering 300 Lok Sabha seats in 2004 and getting a ``two-thirds majority'' along with the BJP's allies. Later, a senior party leader hinted that the Lok Sabha elections ``could be held a few months before they are due in October 2004.''

Mr. Mahajan's appointment is no doubt a major change in the party, but today he made it quite clear that he had always been willing to accept whatever responsibility the party gave him and would have no problem working with Mr. Naidu.

``Politics is not governed by the rules of bureaucracy. When I was appointed general secretary of the BJP way back in 1985, I received the cooperation of so many leaders who were my seniors,'' he said, adding that there was absolutely no reason why he and Mr. Naidu would not work in close cooperation in the interest of the party. ``In politics the issue of someone being two batches senior or junior does not arise.''

While formally announcing Mr. Mahajan's appointment, Mr. Naidu claimed that the willingness with which senior ministers had given up their positions to take up party work was proof that the BJP was a ``party with a difference''. He hinted that some more changes would be made as part of the ``mid-term appraisal of the government'' and a ``mid-course corrective'' to chalk out the ``road map'' for the party.

He would soon re-allocate work among the office-bearers keeping in mind the coming elections. Mr. Arun Jaitley, who has gone back to the Government as Law Minister, would continue to help with the Himachal Pradesh elections as he had been involved in that, Mr. Naidu said.

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