NEW DELHI: A two-day meeting of BJP's national council, which is likely to clear the way for Gujarat CM Narendra Modi to play a larger role on the national stage, is beginning here on Saturday.
Although the meeting of the council has been convened to ratify Rajnath Singh's appointment as the party chief, it has taken on a greater significance because it is also supposed to clear the way for the return of Modi to party's central parliamentary board.
So far, the party leadership has dodged the growing clamour from the ranks to project the Gujarat CM as the spearhead for 2014 polls, and his ever-growing profile has already cast a shadow on the event.
Former Uttarakhand CM Bhagat Singh Koshiyari on Friday defied leadership's instruction to publicly argue that Modi be anointed as party's candidate for the PMO in 2014.
Party chief Rajnath Singh, while addressing the meeting of the national executive on Friday, also complimented Modi for being the first BJP CM to win three elections in a row.
Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley also said that there was a groundswell for Modi, while seeming to counter the view that the delay in CM's projection suggests that BJP may not go into the poll arena with a PM candidate. He said that the "best name" would undoubtedly come up at an appropriate time, emphasizing that Atal Bihari Vajpayee was named party's prime ministerial candidate just ahead of the 1996 polls.
The growing clamour for Modi coincides with the optimism in the party that they may be able to end a decade-long barren spell in Delhi. Addressing the national executive, Singh struck an optimistic note , quoting from the Bhagwad Gita to say that party should be focused on victory.
He recalled that he had addressed the body amid gloom after the 2009 debacle. On that occasion, Singh had quoted from former US president FD Roosevelt's 1933 speech — "the only fear that you have to fear is fear itself" — to lift spirits. On Friday, he said that all-round failure of UPA and corruption scams have led the people to look favourably at the BJP and that the cadre should work for the victory with the single-minded determination.
BJP meet to discuss larger role for Modi
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BJP meet to discuss larger role for Modi
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BJP meet to discuss larger role for Modi
