The rival parties may continue challenging the BJP to declare its CM pick prior to Assembly election in Bihar but the party seems in no hurry to do so. Going by the statements of the BJP leaders the party’s parliamentary board might take a call once elections are announced either to name a leader or not.
But one thing is now becoming quite clear that whether the party makes a declaration or not, its poster boy and most recognisable face might be the CM pick. It’s none other than former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi who had been the prominent leader of Bihar BJP for about two decades.
The senior leaders of the party refuse to say anything precise on this issue but enough indications are coming to suggest that the party would heavily rely on Sushil Modi who has reportedly got backing of the top leadership. Indications to this possibility were clear recently when a book authored by Sushil Modi was released here by Union Minister and Bihar in-charge Ananth Kumar.
The book titled Beech Samar mein (In midst of war) contains his articles penned in course of his jail term during Emergency and other speeches. Ananth and the two other Union Ministers Radha Mohan Singh and Ravi Shankar Prasad in clear cut terms projected Modi as the tallest BJP leader in Bihar with vast experience, mass popularity, acceptability and national stature.
Union Communication Minister Prasad even asked Modi to build a new Bihar, a statement perceived in the political circle as being a hint for the Bihar leader to be ready to take the reigns. Agriculture Minister Singh said Modi was like a warrior standing tall in middle of the war.
It is not that Modi would get the Chief Ministerial post on a platter. There are many in his own party and in the NDA who are aspiring for this post, some of them even day dreaming. There are some who have albeit declared they were not in the race but as a matter of fact they are too keen. Among the allies RlSP leader and Union junior minister Upendra Kushwaha has got himself projected by his party as CM face.
However, the BJP has politely rebuked the RlSP to know the limits and that only the larger party is supposed to announce the CM candidate. At a meeting of the Bihar presidents of BJP, lJP and RlSP, this was made clear by the BJP to its allies after which the Kushwaha party too started singing the tune that it would agree on the decision of the PM.
While the allies have seemingly been tamed, the tough task would be to rein in the aspiring leaders inside the BJP. Not only that Sushil Modi is the tallest leader in State, he also belongs to the social class which is dominating the Bihar politics post Mandal event.
His critics might be uncomfortable at Sushil Modi’s undeclared projection but the senior leaders of the party time and again did it publicly. Sometimes back Union Minister Nitin Gadkari made a statement that caused flutter in the party. Gadkari had said, “Dilli mein Modi, ab Bihar mein Modi” which was a clear indication which way the party leadership was thinking about Bihar.