Though Bihar BJP leaders and workers are in a jubilant mood over appointment of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the chairman of the party’s Election Campaign Committee, a JD(U) MP has asked the party’s top leadership to reconsider its alliance with the BJP in view of the latest development in the party.
JD(U) MP Ali Anwar told The Pioneer on Sunday that the party should consider the latest development in the BJP with all the seriousness it deserves. He said that the party should also convene a meeting of all senior leaders to discuss the issue afresh in view of Modi’s elevation. “Modi’s elevation has created a new type of situation which will result in complications in the future,” he remarked.
He said that the relationship between the JD(U) and the BJP is not “normal” anyway and the alliance will suffer more assaults when Modi starts visiting Bihar on campaign trail and speaking in his own “style and language”.
The JD(U) MP said that the BJP is moving in the direction of ultimately declaring Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the next general elections and hence the JD(U) should revisit its relationship with the BJP as his party could not budge an inch from its position, made so clear in the JD(U) National Council meeting in March this year.
The National Council meeting has already adopted a resolution, stating clearly that the PM nominee should have impeccable secular credentials and should be acceptable to all sections of the society.
Meanwhile, a large number of leaders and workers gathered at the party office and started bursting fire crackers as soon as BJP president Rajnath Singh made the announcement about Modi’s elevation.
BJP MlA Nitin Navin, an ardent follower of Narendra Modi, along with a large number of other party workers also asked the party High Command to project Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 lS polls.
Senior BJP leader and State Animal Husbandry Minister Giriraj Singh said that BJP president Rajnath Singh should be congratulated for respecting sentiments of the party’s rank and file who are now very enthusiastic with Modi’s elevation.
Those who want to throw the Congress-led UPA Government will not oppose Modi’s projection as the PM nominee. He also requested Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to keep aside his “small differences” with the BJP over the projection of Modi as the PM nominee for the 2014 lok Sabha elections.
Another BJP Minister in the Nitish Kumar Cabinet, Sunil Kumar Pintu also thanked Rajnath Singh for anointing Modi as the campaign committee chief thus respecting sentiments of crores of the BJP workers and supporters.
When asked whether he also wants Nitish to climb down from his rigid position on Modi, Pintu adopted a cautious approach, stating that the matter will be decided by the top leadership of both BJP and JD(U) at the appropriate time.
JD(U) MlC Deveshchandra Thakur said that his party even does not find fit to comment on Modi’s elevation as it is an internal matter of the BJP.
“We should also appreciate the fact that Narendra Modi has been appointed chairman of the BJP election campaign committee and not the NDA campaign committee,” he noted.
lJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan told The Pioneer that Nitish should clarify his stand on the issue of his opposition to Modi being projected as the PM nominee for the 2014 general elections.
He said that the Chief Minister should tell the people what step he is going to take now when Modi is certainly going to be declared as PM nominee after his elevation as the election campaign chief.
RJD MP Ram Kripal Yadav also asked Nitish to clarify his stand after the latest development in the BJP. He said, “The Chief Minister should tell whether he wants to cling to power by keeping alliance with the BJP intact or will take some bold step on this matter.”