Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated newly appointed BJP president Nitin Nabin, described him as an “experienced millennial” and called the young leader his “boss” as far as party matters were concerned.
Modi’s comments were seen as an attempt to dispel the perception that the 45-year-old Nabin, the BJP’s youngest-ever chief, was a mere figurehead. Modi, however, appeared to set the agenda for Nabin by saying the party needed to confront the challenges of “infiltration, demographic change, urban Naxals and nepotism”.
Speaking at the BJP headquarters, Modi stressed his identity as a party worker despite holding the country’s highest office. “People may say that Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister, that he has been elected for a third consecutive term and has led governments for 25 years. But for me, the most important thing is that I am a BJP worker,” he said.
Referring to the change in party leadership, Modi added that in organisational affairs, Nabin would now be in charge. “When it comes to party matters, I am a worker and Nitin Nabinji is my boss. He is our president,” Modi said.
Nabin was elected unopposed as BJP president on Monday and formally assumed charge on Tuesday. Senior party leaders, led by Modi, and party workers assembled at the BJP headquarters to greet and celebrate the new party chief, projecting unity behind his leadership.
Nabin’s appointment is widely viewed as a decision driven by the dominant Modi-Amit Shah duo, underscoring their intent to consolidate control over the party’s organisational apparatus. The election of the BJP president had been pending since the last Lok Sabha polls, delayed by an internal tussle with the RSS, which was understood to be pressing for greater autonomy for the party organisation.
In the end, the Modi-Shah leadership appears to have prevailed, pushing through the selection of the low-profile Nabin.
While Nabin’s elevation is being projected as a significant generational shift within the party, insiders said he may lack the political heft to assert himself independently and is likely to toe the line of the Modi-Shah leadership.
This was evident in Nabin’s address after taking charge, in which he heaped praise on Modi and underlined that he would work under his guidance. “The way the Prime Minister has consistently worked for India’s development over the past 25 years, both as head of government in Gujarat and now as Prime Minister, his inspiring leadership is certainly a benchmark for new workers like us and we will learn from him,” Nabin said.
The new party president spoke after Modi, who in his concluding remarks continued to counter the perception of Nabin as a “yes-man”. The Prime Minister said the BJP had found a “young and energetic” new president, adding that he would now work under Nabin’s guidance.
“Every word of his will give us a new direction. His guidance will be a priceless asset that will chart our future course of action,” Modi said.
Striking a self-deprecating note, Modi added that as a party worker he had presented an account of his work to the new president. “I have given my account. He will now write my CR (confidential report). I am awaiting his guidance,” Modi said, drawing smiles from the audience. Defence minister Rajnath Singh was seen nudging Nabin, who was seated beside him.
Before these remarks, Modi outlined the priorities before the new party chief. He said that apart from leading the organisation, Nabin would also be responsible for coordinating with National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners. The Prime Minister said the BJP must prepare itself to confront what he described as major challenges facing the country, including infiltration, demographic change, “urban Naxals” and nepotism.
Modi cautioned that infiltration posed a major security threat and urged the new party leadership to “expose” the Opposition. “Infiltration is a danger to the country’s security and we are determined to identify and deport infiltrators. There are parties trying to protect or provide cover to them, and we must expose them before the people,” he said, as Nabin nodded.
The Prime Minister said another significant challenge came from what he termed the “urban Naxal” ecosystem, which he claimed had acquired an international dimension. “For decades, the urban Naxals made the BJP untouchable. Today, they are working to harm the nation’s interests. We have to fight and defeat them with our organisational and ideological strength,” he said.
Flagging “pariwarvaad (nepotism)” as a grave threat to India’s democracy, Modi said the Congress and several regional parties had become captive to single families.