By highlighting only its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the posters, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is following the path of other political parties that are leader centric.
The posters with slogans like ‘Ab ki baar, Modi Sarkar’ have taken over those with pictures of top leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and lK Advani. While talking to mediapersons, here on Tuesday, the State BJP vice-president and MP Raghunandan Sharma said, “BJP is compelled to project a single person as its leader as other parties too are doing so because of leader-centric politics, which is gaining currency in the country these days.”
“Whether it is Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mulayam Singh, Mayawati, Mamata or Jayalalithaa, all parties are following leader-centric politics these days. BJP is also doing so as it feels that it would prove to be politically beneficial,” said Sharma, who was been denied party ticket from Mandsaur.
Earlier, Sharma had created sensation in the party, after he was denied ticket, saying that he felt hurt and insulted. However, he maintained that BJP was different from other political parties on the basis of policies, philosophy and principles.Posters in Madhya Pradesh also display a photograph of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while party's founders Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Deendayal Upadhyaya as well as Vajpayee and Advani were eclipsed.
State Congress leaders, however, don't agree with BJP's argument and said the trend goes to show how the party treats its veterans.“This is the problem with Modi. It appears that now only Modi is left in the BJP. That shows how the party has treated its seniors. He has no respect for them or their contribution,” state Congress' newly-appointed chief spokesman, KK Mishra said, adding, “Had Modi respected them, he would have ensured their photographs got due place in BJP's frontline posters.”