Was Smriti reading her script or someone else’s? BJP debates

Irani, who threatened last morning to a fast unto death if Modi was not removed before December 25, withdrew her statement ‘‘unconditionally’’ late last night.

BJP sources confirmed today that she did so only after a lot of pressure and under the threat of expulsion. BJP general secretary in charge of organisation, Sanjay Joshi, first asked her to make amends but she refused. Gopinath Munde—who along with his brother-in-law Pramod Mahajan—was instrumental in bringing the television star into the BJP was similarly rebuffed.

It was only after party chief L.K. Advani issued an ultimatum to her via Mahajan that Irani reluctantly agreed to withdraw her statement. But far from being chastened, Irani told reporters that she had been instructed to retract her remarks—a qualified apology that only heightened her inexplicable rebellion.

While BJP leaders insist that Irani acted ‘‘on her own’’ and was not ‘‘put up’’ by the anti-Hindutva camp in the party, they are unanimous in their view that the latest bout of indiscipline has further damaged the already battered image of the party.

According to one theory, Irani’s outburst was aimed at preparing ground to leave the BJP and acquire the mantle of a secular heroine. But since she had joined the BJP well after the Gujarat riots and never raised the Modi issue when she fought the Muslim-dominated Chandi Chowk Lok Sabha seat, the sudden awakening of her ‘‘secular conscience’’ was more than a little hypocritical.

Since ideology is unlikely to have prompted her outburst, various motives are being attributed to the move. These include:

a) She had a personal falling out with Modi though no one can pinpoint when or where.

b) She was under pressure from family and friends to distance herself from the BJP since the party is out of power in both Delhi and Mumbai. By raising the Modi issue, she kept alive the possibility of switching to some other party.

c) Pampered by the BJP leadership—which first gave her a LS ticket, then made her a member of the prestigious national executive—Irani began to harbour delusions of grandeur. Her televised rebellion was an attempt to acquire the status of an Uma Bharati.

D) She was not acting on her own but was put up by second-rung leaders who were not happy with Modi’s post-Ranchi stature (he appeared on the stage along with Vajpayee and Advani) and wanted to keep the Gujarat issue alive.

While party circles debate the real reasons for her anti-Modi remarks, they are clear that the one person who inadvertently came to Irani’s aid was suspended sanyasin Uma Bharati. ‘‘If Uma wasn’t in the picture, Smriti Irani’s head would have been chopped off by now,’’ a BJP insider said.

In case Smriti Irani was expelled, the anti-Uma camp would have mounted pressure on the leadership to take stern action against the former Madhya Pradesh CM as well. That is why the BJP leadership, though furious with Irani, has decided not to take any action against her just yet. But if she raises the issue again, she will not be spared because Irani is nowhere near the stature of Uma Bharati, sources said.

But whether Irani keeps quiet or not, the BJP rank and file are deeply demoralised at the recurring bouts of rebellion rocking the party. ‘‘It has sent a very bad message to our cadres. The feeling is anyone can get away with anything. You can abuse leaders in front of TV cameras and then make a half-hearted apology, and not be punished for indiscipline,’’ a party functionary said.