Sir — Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has surprised his critics and loyalists alike by declaring that he intended to honour the mandate given to him and serve the people of his State till 2017.
One wonders whether the statement was a reaction to the silence of the party mandarins on the issue of naming the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate.
This is not the first time that Mr Modi has tried to deflate questions on his prime ministerial ambitions, even as his supporters and admirers in Gujarat and elsewhere in the country exert pressure on the BJP leadership to name him as the prime ministerial nominee at the earliest. A delay in doing so may hit the party’s poll prospects.