Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that its newly announced National Executive lacks brilliance and operational autonomy.
The Thackeray camp, in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, alleged that the long-delayed leadership structure functions primarily “to carry out the preferences of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, while the party’s ‘real’ machinery relies on external levers of power”.
Highlighting the timeline of the organisational reshuffle, the editorial pointed out that the new lineup was declared seven months after Nitin Nabin assumed the role of National President. ”Finding individuals who will quietly steer the party’s carriage in the exact direction desired by PM Modi and HM Shah should not have taken seven months,” the editorial noted, questioning the operational necessity of the executive body altogether.
The Thackeray camp further highlighted political vulnerabilities in Bihar, pointing out that during the intervening period, Nabin vacated his Bankipur Assembly constituency. The BJP subsequently lost the seat in the by-election — a result the editorial attributed to the strategic presence of Prashant Kishor, claiming it exposed the ruling party’s electoral limitations when faced with formidable tacticians.
The editorial asserted that the BJP’s newly appointed team holds “no actual burden to win elections”, claiming that core election strategy and ground management have been effectively outsourced to state machinery, law enforcement agencies, financial resources, and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Referencing international discourse, the editorial cited comments by global figures such as US President Donald Trump, Tulsi Gabbard, and Elon Musk regarding EVM vulnerabilities and the reliance on paper ballots in American elections.
The editorial contrasted this with India, criticising the Election Commission and the Supreme Court for repeatedly declining demands to revert to paper ballots.
Among the key organisational appointments, the Thackeray camp levelled strong ethical objections against naming Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal as the BJP’s National Treasurer. The editorial argued that placing a cabinet minister in charge of party funds for India’s wealthiest political entity creates an inherent conflict of interest, where state authority over trade policies and licensing could intersect with political fundraising.
Pointing to the BJP’s reported treasury reserves exceeding Rs 7,000 crore and its extensive network of nationwide offices, it asserted that Goyal should have resigned from his government post before taking up the organisational role.
The editorial detailed several prominent shifts in the new lineup. Ram Madhav was reassigned to a prominent role within the National Executive following an absence linked to previous allegations regarding Jammu & Kashmir tenders made by former Governor Satya Pal Malik. Amit Malviya has been removed from the National IT Cell. Deepak Mhashe has been brought in as his replacement. Smriti Irani returns to party organisational responsibilities. Vasundhara Raje Scindia and senior Maharashtra leader Vinod Tawde retain their positions as General Secretaries, the editorial added.
The inclusion of Bharati Pawar from Maharashtra comes as a surprise to state party ranks, it said.
Meanwhile, Tariq Mansoor stands as the sole Muslim face accommodated in the new National Executive, added the editorial.
Dismissing the reshuffle as an “arrangement of convenience”, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena remarked that while formal organisational titles have been distributed, the primary levers controlling the BJP’s electoral apparatus remain strictly centralised.
–IANS
sj/dpb
