Gujarat CM to head campaign panel, huge response from supporters
The suspense over 'national role' for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi ended at the BJP Executive meet in Goa on Sunday with the party chief Rajnath Singh anointing him as head of the Campaign Committee for the next lok Sabha election. Modi's "graduation" is bound to raise the pitch for his eventual projection as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP, an issue that remains unsettled even after the Goa conclave.
In his new role, Modi will be responsible for crafting BJP's campaign in such a manner that it captures the prevalent "anti-UPA mood" effectively and results into a "Congress mukta Bharat" (country free of Congress).
The Sunday development comes as a whiff of fresh air for the BJP, which has been struggling with its leadership issue much to the disappointment of its cadre. "Every political party considers election as a challenge. We consider 2014 lok Sabha election as a major challenge. We are determined to win. Keeping the campaign in mind, I have appointed Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as Chairman of the Campaign Committee. This decision was unanimous," Singh told reporters.
Modi remained at the centre stage of the conclave for the last three days, with most of the party leaders guessing about the nature of role that would be assigned to Modi. While the final announcement was made after hectic parleys between top party leaders — the last one continued beyond midnight — it was Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who actually set the tone in asking the party to also look at the "indecisiveness" within.
Parrikar's remarks while seconding the political resolution moved by former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari was immediately greeted by clapping from delegates.
The BJP poster boy will himself travel across the country to participate in party programmes to review and fine-tune organisational preparedness for the general elections. The party plans a series of rallies for its poster boy beyond the boundaries of Gujarat — something it claims would also galvanise the party cadre. The BJP also announced to revive its Jail Bharo Andolan, which was suspended after the Naxal attack on Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh. This will take place between June 17 and 22. Starting from June 26, death anniversary of Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, the party will undertake different programmes till October.
Modi had a special 'message of unity' for the party delegates. He asked party to observe the 60th death anniversary of Mookerjee's to highlight the sacrifice that the veteran made to keep the country united. He plans to install a statue of "Iron Man" Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel in Gujarat.
The iron head of farmer's plough would be collected from across the country to mould it into Patel's statue, which would be double the size of the Statue of liberty. Modi himself will travel to different part to collect the agricultural equipment.