Khan: New innings

New Delhi, Feb. 13: In this season of political catches, this one is likely to be touted by the BJP as the “biggest” of all. He was a high-profile Congress minister and a former confidant of Rajiv Gandhi, outspoken, a Muslim and importantly, from the BJP’s point of view, a “non-communal” Muslim.

Following several months of introspection, Arif Mohammad Khan took a step closer towards joining the BJP after a meeting with its general secretary Pramod Mahajan this evening.

Khan may be offered a Lok Sabha seat from Bahraich, his traditional constituency in Uttar Pradesh, presently held by BJP MP Padamsen Chowdhury.

Like Maneka Gandhi — who the BJP eventually prevailed upon to join its ranks — Khan, too, was believed to be in two minds on whether he should become a card-carrying member of the BJP or fight as an Independent with its support.

BJP sources believed it made more sense for Khan to join them as it would fetch him the assured support of their voters plus the cadre in Bahraich, from where he won as a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) member in 1998.

Khan is presently with Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), but sources close to him conceded he would get “nowhere” since the LJP meant nothing to the BSP-smitten Dalit electorate in Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP sources said if he won, Khan would have to be “rewarded” with a high-powered ministry at the Centre because of his “intrinsic” value to the party.

The sources recalled how in 1985, a Mumbai-based glossy had identified him as among the five most promising youth political leaders along with Madhavrao Scindia, Mahajan, Rajesh Pilot and Arun Nehru.

Although Nehru was on the margin after losing the last Lok Sabha elections, Khan’s USP lay in his stand on the Shah Bano case, the sources maintained.

Despite being a successful minister in Rajiv’s cabinet, he resigned when the Congress government overturned the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case through a constitutional amendment to placate orthodox Muslims after opening the locks of the Babri mosque for worship by Hindus.

BJP sources believed the Shah Bano case to be a “turning point” in India’s political history and Khan as its most appropriate symbol because he earned the wrath of the Muslim clergy and the approval of the liberals.

The BJP is likely to announce the induction of Varun Gandhi into its fold on Monday. Though Varun, 23, is too young to contest, the BJP plans to use him in the heartland to split the “dynasty” votes which may increase if Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi are fielded. “He is perhaps one of the most intelligent and political representatives of his generation and if he is groomed by us for five years, he will emerge as a promising third generation leader,” said a BJP office-bearer.

Varun was told rather than build a base under his mother Maneka’s shadow, it made “more sense” to come to the BJP.