Asserting that there is no rift whatever within the party over choosing and projecting its prime ministerial nominee, BJP president Rajnath Singh said here on Wednesday that the party’s Central Parliamentary Board would take the decision on this score at a “suitable moment”.
“There is no problem in our party on this issue. Whatever decision is taken by our parliamentary board, it will be based on consensus,” Singh said during an interaction with Indian journalists based in Washington, adding: “It is not for me as BJP president to project the prime ministerial nominee.”
Disagreeing with the refrain that Modi is a highly polarising figure, Singh said: “Modi is a very, very popular leader.”On the issue of grant of US visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Singh took the stand that it was something for the US government to decide. “It’s not an issue for us, and I have not raised it here,” he clarified.
At the same time, he commented it was a “paradox” that while the Congressional Research Service heaped praise on the performance of Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister in an elaborate document, the US government had chosen to deny him a visa.
He denied any “hungama” within the BJP on the visa issue, but pointed to complaints by MPs belonging to other parties, including senior CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, who have indicated that their purported signatures on a petition to US President Barack Obama pressing for continued denial of visa to Modi had been “forged”.
Singh, now in Washington as part of a five-day US visit, met with Congressmen Ed Royce and Joe Crowley, the co-chairs of the House caucus on India. He was slated to meet leaders of the Senate India Caucus later on Wednesday. Singh, who addressed a conference on Afghanistan on Capitol Hill, also participated in a think-tank session with South Asia specialists and officials.
Fielding questions from the media, the BJP chief was emphatic that there will be no dearth of allies for the party, if it were to emerge as the single largest party, but short of a clear majority in the ensuing lok Sabha polls. “In such a post-poll scenario, we will get many partners, just as we demonstrated back in 1998,” he said. The BJP will fight the election on the theme of national development, good governance, eradication of poverty and alleviation of unemployment, he said.