Those who felt that BJP president Nitin Gadkari would resignin the aftermath of the controversy surrounding his Purti group of companiesappear to have put too much faith in the innate goodness of the politicalculture. This innocent expectation of morality flies in the face of theprevalent political culture of Maharashtra which thrives on money and a web ofinnovative methods of wealth creation by manipulating co-operative andcorporate laws.
The assumption that the RSS is averse to such manipulationis grossly misplaced in the context of Maharashtra politics. The emergence ofPramod Mahajan, Nitin Gadkari, Gopinath Munde and several other BJP-Shiv Senaleaders running educational institutes, sugar mills and other commercialentities was the logical response to leaders like Sharad Pawar, Suresh Kalmadi,Praful Patel, Vijay Darda and others.
Significantly, this response was crafted and fashioned withthe active support of the top leadership of the RSS and the BJP. Obviously itwould be naive to believe that Gadkari's shenanigans which are violative of thecode of ethics and morality were hidden from the watchful eyes of the RSS.Indeed, Gadkari's foray into the business of co-operative societies and histransformation into an industrialist was actively facilitated and encouraged bythe RSS.
This was why complaints against Gadkari about his acts ofindiscretions about a year back to the RSS chief cut no ice with his mentors inthe Nagpur headquarters. RSS insiders admit that much before the recent expose,Gadkari's detractors had carried the same set of documents to RSS headquartersin order to convince the Sangh bosses about the potential of controversiessurrounding the BJP chief. “All those allegations were summarily rejected thereand then,” confirm RSS leaders.
The RSS leadership sees nothing amiss in Gadkari's politicsand lends full support to him. Insiders admit that Gadkari's business empirebuilt a cadre base for not only the BJP but also for the RSS. “There are manyfamilies closely associated with the RSS whose members are employed in thesecommercial entities,” they say. The obvious implication of these assertions isthat Gadkari's business empire is intrinsically a part of the Sangh Parivar'sdesign for the future political course. And in the larger game of politics, theissues pertaining to morality and ethics are easily expendable.
in association for Governance Now
