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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

Tawde’s journey from exile to UP fortress

Mumbai: In 2014, when Narendra Modi first ascended to the Prime Minister’s office, he entrusted the politically complex and electorally decisive state of Uttar Pradesh to his closest confidant, Amit Shah. Now, in a move that has sent ripples through the corridors of power, the Bharatiya Janata Party has bestowed that exact strategic mantle upon its National General Secretary, Vinod Tawde. With the crucial Uttar Pradesh assembly elections looming just a year away in 2027, Tawde’s appointment...

Tawde’s journey from exile to UP fortress

Mumbai: In 2014, when Narendra Modi first ascended to the Prime Minister’s office, he entrusted the politically complex and electorally decisive state of Uttar Pradesh to his closest confidant, Amit Shah. Now, in a move that has sent ripples through the corridors of power, the Bharatiya Janata Party has bestowed that exact strategic mantle upon its National General Secretary, Vinod Tawde. With the crucial Uttar Pradesh assembly elections looming just a year away in 2027, Tawde’s appointment as the state in-charge is a masterstroke of political rehabilitation and trust. While many political pundits anticipated Tawde might replace Dharmendra Pradhan in the Modi cabinet, the high command had a far more vital organizational mission in mind for the leader who, remarkably, found himself politically uprooted from his home turf of Maharashtra barely seven years ago. Serving as the Education Minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government, Tawde was a prominent and powerful face of the state BJP. However, the political winds shifted abruptly prior to the 2019 assembly elections. In a move that shocked many, his portfolios were drastically curtailed and handed over to Ashish Shelar, followed by the ultimate political blow: he was denied a ticket to contest from his stronghold constituency of Borivali. Whispers of a fierce, underlying political rivalry with Fadnavis flooded political circles, with widespread speculation suggesting that the Chief Minister had orchestrated the systematic downsizing of Tawde’s administrative influence to neutralize a potential competitor. Faced with a sudden, humiliating political exile, Tawde stood at a crossroads where many regional leaders opt for rebellion. Instead, he chose the path of extreme discipline, absorbing the setback and redirecting his focus entirely on national politics. Leveraging his deep, foundational roots in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Tawde utilized his vast organizational network—a residual strength that survived his loss of ministerial power. His political resurrection was championed by the then-BJP President J.P. Nadda, a fellow ABVP alumnus who shared a profound camaraderie with the exiled leader. Recognizing his untapped potential, Nadda brought him to Delhi, initiating a comeback that began with his appointment as the Haryana in-charge in 2020 and culminated in his rapid elevation to National General Secretary in 2021. Tawde’s tenure as an organizational architect quickly yielded dividends. After stabilizing the party apparatus in Haryana, he was thrown into the politically volatile cauldron of Bihar in 2022. The BJP was navigating an exceptionally hostile environment marred by the shifting allegiances of Nitish Kumar and the looming shadow of the RJD. Immersing himself in booth-level micro-management and delicate alliance negotiations, Tawde orchestrated a remarkable consolidation. His strategic maneuvers were instrumental when Nitish Kumar eventually returned to the NDA fold in 2023, paving the way for the coalition’s formidable performance in the subsequent 2024 Lok Sabha and 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. As his stock rose, the central leadership began entrusting him with prestige assignments that transcended typical state electoral politics. Tawde emerged as a highly effective backroom coordinator during the 2022 presidential election of Droupadi Murmu, seamlessly managing cross-party liaisons across multiple states. He replicated this managerial success during C.P. Radhakrishnan’s vice-presidential election in 2025. Beyond electoral arithmetic, Tawde spearheaded massive national outreach initiatives, leading the ‘Sanghatan Parv 2024’ membership drive and coordinating complex central campaigns ranging from ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ to the delicate domestic communications during ‘Operation Ganga’ in Ukraine. Vinod Tawde has not merely returned from the political wilderness; he has conquered it, transforming a harsh regional sidelining into an undisputed mandate at the very heart of the nation’s political epicenter.

A Street for Shinzo Abe, A Tribute to Friendship

Abe understood that India-Japan relations should live in the hearts of ordinary people.

Some friendships between nations are built through treaties or trade. Others are built through something deeper — trust, respect, gratitude and emotional understanding. The friendship between India and Japan is one such relationship.


Today, Connect India Japan has started a campaign to name a street in New Delhi after the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He remains deeply respected and loved by many Indians and, for many of us, symbolised the extraordinary friendship between the two countries. This is not simply about naming a road. It is about preserving a memory, expressing gratitude and honouring a leader who believed India and Japan could become strategic and democratic partners with an emotional bond.


The Abe Vision

Shinzo Abe visited India four times during his premiership — in 2007, January 2014, December 2015 and September 2017. His first visit left a lasting impression. Addressing the Indian Parliament, he delivered his historic “Confluence of the Two Seas” speech. Drawing on Swami Vivekananda’s ideas, he envisioned an Asia based on freedom, prosperity and cooperation.


Abe understood that Japan and India were two ancient civilisations with deep traditions and democratic values. He believed modernity did not require abandoning their roots. In 2014, the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Under Abe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ties expanded across diplomacy, security, infrastructure, technology, business and people-to-people relations.


But agreements tell only part of the story. The deeper story is about people. Abe’s contribution deserves more than a reference in a history book. A street is part of everyday life. Children would ask, “Who was Shinzo Abe?” Young Indians would learn about a Japanese Prime Minister who believed in India. Japanese visitors would see a reminder of the friendship between the two countries.


There is also a generational connection. In his 2007 speech, Abe spoke about his grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, who had visited India 50 years earlier. Abe understood that relationships between nations also connect generations. A street named after him would carry that story forward.


Why It Matters

For me, this campaign is deeply personal because I love both countries. I have lived in Japan for more than two decades. Japan gave me opportunities, friendships and dignity. It also gave me the belief that I could become something when I could not believe in myself. Japan loved me when perhaps I was not lovable. Japan believed in me when I could not believe in myself.


That is why I started Connect India Japan with a philosophy I learnt and experienced in Japan: Ongaeshi — 恩返し — giving back. When someone helps you, you carry that kindness forward.


My roots are in India. India shaped my understanding of life, spirituality and human relationships. Its ancient traditions, including the Vedas and Upanishads, taught me that life is not only about what we acquire. It is also about what we give and leave behind.


India gave me my roots. Japan gave me wings. Connect India Japan became the bridge between the two.


I founded it to bring India and Japan closer — economically, strategically, culturally, spiritually and emotionally. Over the years, we have connected people, businesses, governments, institutions and communities. We have organised India-Japan events, promoted Indian states in Japan, facilitated meetings between Japanese delegations and Indian governments and institutions, created media platforms and introduced people from both countries to one another.


We are still evolving, but our purpose has never changed. We want India and Japan to understand each other more deeply. That is why the campaign for Shinzo Abe matters so much to me. Abe understood that India-Japan relations should not remain limited to government meetings and business agreements. They should live in the hearts of ordinary people.


Lasting Tribute

Naming a street after Shinzo Abe would be India’s gesture of gratitude to Japan. It would say, "We remember the Japanese Prime Minister who believed in India’s potential. We remember the leader who helped transform India-Japan relations. We remember the friendship he built with India. And we remember the vision he left behind.”


I hope that one day, when an Indian child walks down Shinzo Abe Street in New Delhi, that child will ask, “Who was Shinzo Abe?” The answer will be "He was a Japanese prime minister who believed that India and Japan could become great friends.”


That is what this campaign is about. Not politics. Not nostalgia. Not merely a road sign. It is about Ongaeshi and gratitude. It is about remembering someone who strengthened the friendship between two great civilisations and carrying his vision into the future.


Shinzo Abe spoke of the confluence of two seas. Today, we can create a confluence of two peoples. India and Japan have a shared past. Shinzo Abe helped envision their shared future. Let us honour that vision and build that future together.


(The writer is Founder & CEO of Connect India Japan. Views personal.)

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