Eknath Khadse is too powerful to be totally sidelined by BJP

In a major embarrassment to the ruling BJP in Maharashtra, Eknath Khadse, the de facto number two in the state government, was forced to quit after getting embroiled in multiple controversies, including a questionable land deal and alleged links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

The other charge against him are related to an aide demanding a bribe of Rs 30 crore. Though the BJP state president Raosaheb Danve said Khadse had quit on "moral grounds" it was apparent from the circumstances that his position had become untenable and he was forced to quit. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadanvis also had to announce a probe into the allegations, by a retired high court judge.

Khadse may have lost his job but he also has the potential to bounce back. Remember he was one of the top contenders for the chief minister’s post in the BJP after their 2014 victory in the state.

Also read: Fadnavis will miss his mentor Eknath Khadse

Khadse may have lost that race to Fadnavis but his influence ensured that he got the all-important revenue portfolio along with nine other departments. He is part of the core committee of top BJP leaders, who take calls on all major party-related issues in the state. Other members in committee are Fadnavis himself, Danve and ministers Sudhir Mungantiwar, Vinod Tawde and Pankaja Munde.

Reports say Khadse was promised a comeback if he emerged clean in the probe.

If Khadse has to bounce back, then what are the options available to him?

The first option is to do what senior BJP leader LK Advani did after allegations were levelled against him in the Jain Hawala case. Advani too had resigned from the Lok Sabha in 1996 following the allegations. The case, however, later collapsed owing to lack of evidence.

Also read - I am being targeted, I stopped illegal purchase of land: Eknath Khadse

The BJP patriarch was re-elected two years later - in 1998. This is considered as a milestone in Indian politics and every politician facing charges of corruption is expected to imitate this model. But the nature of charges faced by Khadse is quite different from that faced by Advani, and Khadse may not get a judicial clean chit in two years' time.

Then there is the Ajit Pawar model in Maharashtra. He resigned from the state cabinet in September 2012 after allegations of irregularities in the irrigation sector. Pawar came back as deputy chief minister after a little over two months.

He got a clean chit through the white paper issued by the water works department, headed by an NCP minister. To bring back Pawar through a disputed clean chit was a compulsion for then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. His government couldn’t have survived even a minute without the support of Pawar’s NCP. However, this model may not be of much use to Khadse because in the case of Fadnavis, there is no such compulsion as faced by his predecessor.

The third model available for Khadse is based on the reinduction of then NDA convener and Samata Party leader George Fernandes as defence minister by Atal Biharai Vajpayee. In March 2001, Fernandes had resigned in the wake of the revelations made by Tehelka.com.

The charge was of alleged irregularities in defence deals. Fernandes was brought back in November 2001, despite the fact that the K Venkataswami Commission, which was set up to probe the Tehelka affair, was yet to complete its work. In the case of Fernandes, he was important because he had been the main troubleshooter in the Vajpayee government. But sadly, that is not the case for Khadse. So even this model might not work for him.

Apart from these three, there are several other models evolved by leaders like Lalu Prasad, Jayalalithaa, Sukhram, Om Prakash Chautala, Mayawati, Jaganmohan Reddy, Sibu Soren and others, who faced corruption charges, and yet continued to have significant grassroots and people support.

But in all these models, the leaders were either regional satraps or had carved out their places after leaving their parent parties. So Khadse may opt for the model followed by people like Jaganmohan Reddy or Sukhram, that is to leave their parent party and make his own place in state politics.

Apart from these prominently successful models there is also a high profile failure and that is of former BJP president Bangaru Laxman. He was at the peak of his political life, when he was caught on camera in 2001 taking a bribe from fake arms dealers.

The sting operation was conducted by newsportal Tehelka.com. The political storm created by it led to Bangaru losing his job. After that he was left out in the cold and for all practical purposes it seemed that his political career had ended and Bangaru died soon after in a chopper crash.

Questions about Khadse’s fate continue to linger on in political circles. While some believe that the present set of controversies have doomed his political career, others say he enjoys way too much clout to be sidelined by the BJP.

It is pointed out that he is a strong leader from north Maharashtra and a prominent OBC face. It is also said that the judicial probe is nothing but a political adjustment and Khadse’s return is imminent. The state BJP chief Danve's statement that “the party will continue to support him, and believes he has not done anything wrong” gives strength to this perception.

Apart from that, Khadse is aggressive and a seasoned politician who knows how to come out of a difficult situation. Khadse may just spark a revolt by his followers in the BJP if he is not taken back into the cabinet.

The coming months will be instructive because if there is one thing that is certain it is that Khadse is not the type of person who would just fade away. He will try to manoeuvre and manipulate everything within his power to climb back to pre-eminence. After all, politics is a purely need-based game. So all Khadse has to do is make himself needed. His success or failure can only be limited by the level of morality that the BJP might want to cling to, or ignore.