NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a mutiny from senior members of his Bharatiya Janata Party for the first time in his premiership after a humiliating election defeat in the pivotal state of Bihar exposed deep rifts over his leadership.
Former deputy prime minister LK Advani, ex party president Murli Manohar Joshi and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha released a statement late yesterday questioning the direction of the party after the defeat, which risks embarrassing Modi just ahead of a visit to Britain this week.
“A thorough review must be done of the reasons for the defeat as well as of the way the party is being forced to kow-tow to a handful, and how its consensual character has been destroyed,” the statement said.
Sunday’s loss in Bihar, India’s third most populous and poorest state, comes after a similar defeat in Delhi and is the most significant setback for Modi since he won a crushing victory in a general election last year.
Modi’s failure to win enough seats for his party in Bihar despite being its star campaigner indicates a waning of his popularity, prompting senior leaders to ask for accountability.
“To say that everyone is responsible for the defeat in Bihar is to ensure that no one is held responsible,” Advani and the other leaders wrote in the statement.
A BJP spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
Modi arrives in Britain on Thursday for a three-day visit expected to focus heavily on expanding trade links and during which he will address parliament.
The party has been crippled in the past by infighting among leaders, with several of them – including Advani – harbouring ambitions to become India’s next prime minister.
Modi visited Advani at his residence on the day of the results to greet him on his birthday, but there were no signs that differences had been healed.
“The principal reason for the latest defeat is the way the Party has been emasculated in the last year,” the statement said.
Modi and a dozen senior party colleagues analysed the reasons for the Bihar defeat in a meeting, but did not point the finger at anyone in particular for the loss.
In an apparent bid to ensure the setback did not affect the economic agenda of the pro-industry government, India yesterday eased foreign direct investment norms sectors including mining, defence, civil aviation and broadcasting.
