Providing a corruption-free administration, the promise Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried forward, appears to have boomeranged in his own turf he ruled for quite a long time setting an example of glowing Gujarat. The resignation of Anandiben, his protégé, from the Chief Ministership before completing the term and taking plea under the 75-years bar is in itself self explanatory. The sudden decision to tender resignation must be having some tacit understanding with party high command. One cannot believe politicians are that straight forward that they will quit their chair without an allegation and even if allegations are levelled they hesitate to accept and Andiben is no exception. Gujarat will shadow political fortune of BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab where elections are scheduled to take after few months before Gujarat next year. So as a face saving exercise the party may not want to cloud its electoral prospects with the defeats in other states. The inability to deal with last year’s Patidar agitation for reservation for Patel community led by Hardik Patel was the turning point and set off talks that she could no longer hold the reins of state which had become a standard setter for the country with tall claims of progress and development. It was in the aftermath of the Patidar stir that BJP reluctantly went into the local bodies elections that were virtually thrust upon the party by the Court. The result was BJP’s worst ever show in the last two decades. In 2015 an NRI’s complaint of corruption against CM’s son was given a quiet burial. Her daughter’s name came in the lime light after a major land scam surfaced. The recent Una Dalit case put the proverbial last nail on the coffin. BJP as part of face saving exercise may place her on some gubernatorial post. It was inaction on both Patidar and Dalit issues and ‘Putramoh’ that cost her chair on corruption front. But BJP will have to carry such black sheep with itself and all its campaign targeting opposition Congress today looks as an alibi to present a clean face in the public.
