image source, YEARS
A video of Amit Shah pulling Jagat Prakash Natta back with his hand as he tried to walk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event a few years back was widely shared. After Narendra Modi, Amit Shah is the top leader of Bharatiya Janata Party and is considered to be close to Modi.
Amit Shah told the media on Tuesday that JP Natta will continue as the party president for one more year. Describing it as a good news, he said that the Executive Committee has unanimously agreed to extend the tenure of Jagat Prakash Natta till June 2024.
JP Natta further expanded Modi’s popularity under his brilliant leadership. Amit Shah said he continued and strengthened the organization’s work even during the worst pandemic impact of the 20th century.
JP is committed to meeting the expectations and needs of those in power. Political analyst Radhika Ramashan says that Natta is a ‘role model’ and ‘has the ability to cross boundaries, even when the boundaries are not clearly defined’.
Working with two very powerful leaders is not easy. But Radhika Ramashan says that JP Natta is making a place for herself in the party.
JP Natta was the second most visible figure after Narendra Modi in the cut-outs held during the party’s two-day national executive meeting. A cut-out of Moti on one side and JP Natta on the other were placed at the entrance of the meeting venue.
Natta’s function as leader
image source, YEARS
But only ‘Narendra Moti’ was seen in Modi’s roadshow. Amit Shah and Natta were not in the vehicle with him or in the car behind him.
A question was doing the rounds in the media circles during the BJP’s national executive meeting.
Under Natta’s leadership, the party lost elections in his home state of Himachal Pradesh. In Bihar, his birthplace, the regime got out of hand. With nine states this year and general elections due next year, the question is whether he will remain in charge of the party till then.
Jagat Prakash Natta was born in Bihar. After his elementary education, he graduated from Patna University with a B.A. Later he also graduated in Law from Himachal Pradesh University.
Announcing the extension of Nadda’s tenure by one year, Amit Shah said, “The party has achieved a high strike rate in Bihar under his leadership. If we talk about NDA in Maharashtra elections, the alliance won under his leadership. Uttarakhand, Manipur and Assam won. In West Bengal too, due to lack of a few seats, it could not come to power. The party is emerging as a force in Tamil Nadu. Hat-trick record in Goa,” he said.
Development of Natta
image source, Twitter/@JPNadda
Referring to Gujarat, Amit Shah said, “We got 156 seats and 53 percent votes under the brilliant leadership of Modi and JP Nadda. Modi’s popularity was further extended by Nadda.”
“Narendra Modi has been a propagandist and a party in charge. He has realized that a very powerful government should not make the party an organization that follows the regime. If that happens, the BJP’s raison d’être will end,” said Radhika Ramashan.
JP Natta stayed in Bihar for a long time. But his political career started from Himachal Pradesh. Narendra Modi was in charge of Himachal Pradesh in the 1990s. Since then his friendship with Moti has continued.
The 2014 elections were held under the leadership of Rajnath Singh. Following the BJP’s victory in this, Modi gradually strengthened his position in the party.
Under his leadership, the party first elected Amit Shah as its president. He was the president of the party for two terms. After that the leadership of the party was handed over to JP Natta in January 2020. Before this he was also acting chairman for a few days.
The party says that Natta’s charge has been extended for some more time as election work from booth level to higher level has not been completed due to the impact of the Corona pandemic.
JP Challenges of Natta
During the executive committee meeting, JP Natta’s name was proposed by Defense Minister and former party president Rajnath Singh. All agreed to it.
JP Natta, a junior swimmer representing the state of Bihar, is an expert in the use of technology. Through this, he was in constant touch with the volunteers even during the Corona pandemic. It was easy for him as he was in constant touch with leaders since his student days.
However, working with two strongmen in the party was not easy for JP Natta, a three-time member of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Occasions have also come before him to appoint a leader in his own state and oversee the affairs of Gujarat.
Both Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are from Gujarat. At the same time, it is natural for Natta to have his own preference in the appointment of President in Himachal Pradesh.
What are the specialties of Natta?
image source, Twitter/@JPNadda
“He suits both at the top. Both don’t want to trust anyone else. They want someone who is not a challenge to them,” said a person closely watching the BJP on condition of anonymity.
Some experts are of the opinion that Natta is similar to Kushapav Thackeray who was the party leader during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Vajpayee, L.K. Having worked among powerful leaders like Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi and Pramod Mahajan, Kushapav Thackeray avoided getting caught up in unnecessary matters.
But others say Natta, unlike Kushapav, is very active on social media and doesn’t believe in holding back beyond a certain limit. And he painstakingly documents everything related to the meetings. It’s his style to get everyone along. This will help him to progress further.
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