Corporate Speak

Pramod Mahajan, the BJP whip in the state, and Bal Thackeray have something in common. The latter is known as the states remote control for Chief Minister Manohar Joshi; the former plays the same role for his brother-in-law and deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde. Mahajan, who is in his early forties, is the partys most high-profile spokesman in the state. A protege of BJP leader L K Advani, he has risen through the ranks. From a mere party activist, Mahajan today is in charge of the BJP factions in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa. A troubleshooter known for his close links with some leading industrialists, he won the north-east Mumbai seat in the last Lok Sabha elections. In fact, soon after the elections, Mahajan revamped the BJPs dowdy office in Mumbai. Today, with its cellphones and air-conditioned cars, the corporatisation of the party in the state is complete. When the Munde Committee report had suggested the scrapping of the Enron deal, it was on Mahajans insistence that the deal was renegotiated. But his influence does not only stretch only as far as Munde. His capability, say insiders, is getting the Sena supremo Thackeray to toe the line. Frank and forthright, Mahajan is often referred to as the male Sushma Swaraj and BJPs roving correspondent.