NEW DELHI: Concerned at the growing sense of discomfort over talent crunch in the government and the party, the BJP brass is learnt to be working overtime to address the issue.
The course correction roadmap concurred by the leadership of both the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is likely to be mirrored in the expansion of the Modi Cabinet and the saffron outfit's national office bearers' team.
At the core of the problem is the lack of a crop of leaders who can step in times of crisis to swing the public perception and rally party workers. "The government and the BJP organisation mostly reflect a team of leaders with managerial bent of minds. The rise of Modi and Amit Shah corresponded with an expanding tribe of people with least public appeal in government and party positions. The pandemic has just woken up the leadership to the challenge that was being ignored," said a senior RSS functionary.
While the RSS mobilised its resources to set up COVID health care infrastructure during the second wave, sources said its senior functionaries noted the absence of ministers and BJP leaders from the scenes, which only added to the negative perception about the party.
"Not only is the government seen as PM-centric, there’s hardly anyone among BJP national office bearers, except Bhupender Yadav, who can even manage elections in states. The rumblings in the state units suggest disconnect of the national office bearers from the ground realities," said a top BJP leader.
That the general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh has to be sent to four states four states in recent days to work out peace among warring factions reveals the extent of the dearth of talent pool in the party. Sources said that the possibility of exchange of resource pools between the government and the BJP appears also not ruled out.