BJP’s new national executive an ‘arrangement of convenience’, says Shiv Sena (UBT)

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday criticised the BJP’s newly constituted national executive, describing it as an “arrangement of convenience” with little operational independence.

In an editorial published in party mouthpiece Saamana, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party alleged that the executive had been assembled primarily to carry out the wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.

The editorial questioned why the appointments were announced seven months after Nitin Nabin assumed charge as BJP national president, arguing that the delay was difficult to justify if the executive’s role was merely to follow directions from the party’s central leadership.

It also referred to the BJP’s loss in the Bankipur assembly by-election after Nabin vacated the constituency. The editorial attributed the result partly to the involvement of political strategist Prashant Kishor and claimed that it exposed the BJP’s vulnerabilities when confronted by a strong electoral challenge.

The Sena (UBT) further alleged that members of the new executive would bear little direct responsibility for winning elections, claiming that the BJP’s electoral operations depended heavily on state institutions, enforcement agencies and financial resources.

The editorial also renewed the party’s criticism of electronic voting machines, citing concerns expressed by international public figures and referring to the use of paper ballots in the United States. It criticised the Election Commission and the Supreme Court for rejecting demands to return to paper ballots in India.

The appointment of Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal as the BJP’s national treasurer also drew criticism. Saamana alleged that placing a cabinet minister in charge of the finances of India’s wealthiest political party created a potential conflict of interest.

Citing the BJP’s reported reserves of more than Rs 7,000 crore and its network of offices across the country, the editorial argued that Goyal should have resigned from the Union Cabinet before accepting the organisational position.

Commenting on other appointments, the editorial noted Ram Madhav’s return to a prominent role in the national executive and Smriti Irani’s return to organisational responsibilities. It said Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Maharashtra BJP leader Vinod Tawde had retained their positions as general secretaries.

According to the editorial, Deepak Mhashe has replaced Amit Malviya as head of the party’s national information technology cell. It described the inclusion of Maharashtra leader Bharati Pawar as unexpected and noted that Tariq Mansoor was the sole Muslim representative in the new executive.

The Sena (UBT) concluded that although organisational posts had been distributed, effective control over the BJP’s political and electoral machinery remained firmly centralised.

With IANS inputs