Senior BJP leader and former State Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi’s batting for Narendra Modi’s coronation for the party’s prime ministerial post and his indirect snub to party’s patriarch lK Advani created buzz in political circle on Thursday in Bihar.
Sushil Modi earlier had tweeted that what lK Advani had done for Atal Bihari Vajpayee now he should do the same for Narendra Modi. The former Deputy CM also said that Advani should not create hurdle in Modi’s way to be named as party’s PM face.
However, interestingly, before a month of the NDA’s split in the State on June 16, Sushil Modi had been the most vocal supporter of both Advani and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He even said Kumar possessed all the qualities and capabilities of former NDA Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
But ever since the alliance broke, Sushil Modi made a bold U-turn and started singing paeans to Narendra Modi while attacking Nitish Kumar in a way that surprised even the State BJP leaders and the Bihar Chief Minister.
“How could Sushil Modi make such a turnaround in just a month timeIJ It’s most surprising and unbelievable even in political parlance,” wondered JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar.
After his meeting with Narendra Modi during party’s Goa conclave, Sushil Modi went hammer and tongs against Nitish Kumar and his Government leaving behind all the identified and firebrand State party leaders supporting the Gujarat CM.
But, he surprised one and all by virtually snubbing someone like Advani, who has been his mentor.
“Advaniji himself had declared Atalji as PM candidate. Now also he could have done the same for NaMo,” he tweeted and said “if you don’t agree with the public mood it becomes very difficult to win elections. “The people of the State I am currently meeting during my tour, and even party workers are not willing to accept anyone other than Narendra Modi.
“Narendra Modi is the need of the hour and people today don’t want to listen anyone on this issue,” Modi told a private news channel.
The State BJP leaders who have been vouching for the Gujarat CM for long took a dig at Sushil’s opportunism.
“Its unfortunate what Sushil Modi has said about Advaniji…he is the senior most leader of the party and most respected for all of us. He should be addressed like how Sushil Modi has said,” reacted State BJP leader and former Minister Chandra Mohan Rai.
Another party leader Giriraj Singh too expressed surprise about Sushil Modi’s “late rising over NaMo”. “If Sushil Modi has said all these things six months ago, it would certainly have some impact,” said the BJP leader and former Minister Giriraj Singh.
Even JD(U) leaders were critical of Sushil Modi. “It’s more a childlike statement coming out from Sushil Modi..he has become restless after his Ministry has gone,” commented senior JD(U) leader and Rajya Sabha member Shivanand Tiwari.
State JD(U) president Basistha Narayan Singh too expressed his shock over Sushil’s surprising turnaround. “Such comments should not have been said against such a senior leader like l K Advani,” he said.
However, when Sushil Modi realised the seriousness of his tweet and statement he later clarified that he was not rebelling against lK Advani, but just expressing his view that in politics everyone has his own time and now the time has come for Narendra Modi.
“I wanted to convey the feeling of the workers and I also want to say that what I’m today is because of Advaniji. He is the tallest leader of the party and our mentor,” he clarified.
However, the Bihar BJP also got a shock when a party legislator Avnish Kumar Singh hit out at Narendra Modi and praised Nitish Kumar in an apparent bid to woo the Bihar Chief Minister for a ticket from Motihari lok Sabha seat to contest in the 2014 Parliamentary poll.