New Delhi, Jan 19 (First Post) : The BJP top leadership's decision to induct ex-IPS officer Kiran Bedi into the party just ahead of the Delhi assembly polls may have been hailed as a coup by political observers, but the mood inside the party is not quite so celebratory.

The old complaints about an 'outsider' -- which in 2013 assembly elections persuaded the top brass to pick Harsh Vardhan over Bedi as the BJP chief ministerial candidate -- are reportedly back in circulation. There also seems to be some generalised resentment over the fact that although Bedi has already started issuing 'diktats' to state party workers. And of course there is the minor issue that state leaders were completely bypassed in the decision to induct her into the party.

A Times of India report details the disgruntlement within party ranks over a 'tea party' at her residence where Bedi reportedly 'summoned' BJP MPs. According to the report, "Though the request was routed through the party office, it left a bad taste in the mouth of some MPs who resented being summoned by someone who joined the party only days ago and doesn't hold a formal position in the organization yet."
However, it notes that despite the mutterings, most of them had made it a point to show up, with only those who had prior appointments being unable to attend.

Despite this grudging acknowledgement of her status, many leaders are not keeping their feelings towards Bedi to themselves, choosing to go anonymous to air their reservations.

"She is rude and arrogant. Her dictatorial tendencies may have an adverse impact on the party’s prospect. It will be difficult for workers to work with her. Since we work under the umbrella of the BJP, we will follow instructions of our leader as obedient foot soldiers", one party leader had told Firstpost.

Another founding member of the Delhi BJP also told Firstpost that, "It is true that her entry into the BJP has given a new life to the state unit. The morale of the workers, who had previously gone idle because of infighting within the party, has got a boost. But such outsourcing and so much attention to a newcomer is a little unjust for those who have spent their lives as loyal workers of the party".
Senior BJP leader Jagdish Mukhi, for his part, has told the Indian Express that he is willing to follow the larger plan of the BJP and RSS, while admitting that he was not included in the decision to induct Bedi.

“There must have been consultation at the highest level but at the level of the state unit there wasn’t much consultation. See, priorities are very different now. It is to enrol 10 crore members and to make the party the largest in the world. Anyone can join. Nobody can stop anybody, there is no question of consultation", he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

However the Express also includes stronger quotes from a number of anonymous BJP leaders, all expressing reservation against Bedi's administrative and political abilities, saying that her possible elevation as Chief Minister will break morale of state leaders and grassroot workers.

There are also reports that the RSS leadership had been unhappy with the projection of Bedi as a CM candidate so soon after she was inducted into the party. According to the Times of India, a message was therefore rushed to RSS chief Bhagwati to assure him that the BJP had not as yet made any decision to make Bedi the BJP CM candidate

But the RSS later tweeted that the report was baseless: "News about Dr Bhagwatji disapproving KiranBedi's entry to BJP is baseless. Its an evil design to show a rift between RSS &Govt. Dr M.Vaidya."

Adding an extra layer of complexity to the whole issue is the fact that Bedi's induction was made at the highest levels of the party. An Indian Express report says that PM Modi himself had "suggested during a 15-minute interaction that if the party gained power in Delhi after the 7 February elections, Bedi would be picked as Chief Minister", and that the interaction had been facilitated by none other than BJP president Amit Shah, after consultations with finance minister Arun Jaitley.

Despite the resentment of state leaders however, the BJP workers are reportedly excited about Bedi's induction into the party. Firstpost's Tarique Anwar reported that soon after the announcement was made, "The workers who had been disappointed by the lack of energy in the party so far, looked rejuvenated. She was greeted with the slogan Delhi Ka CM Kaisa Ho, Kiran Bedi Jaisa Ho (the ideal CM for Delhi is Kiran Bedi)."

The Times of India notes that "to ensure that she connects with the state cadre, the BJP has asked party workers to address her as 'Kiran didi'. Addressing a large gathering of party workers, BJP general secretary Ram Lal said, 'Don't call her Kiran Bediji. Now onwards, she is Kiran didi for you.'"

For now, with formidable backers like Modi and Shah, she can rest assured that anonymous complaints will remain, well, anonymous. If the BJP does win, and Bedi does become the CM, it remains to be seen if she will be able to win over the Delhi BJP leadership whose support she will require in order to govern. But if she commits any serious mistakes in the run up to the election, we can expect to the grumbling to turn quickly into loud protests.