Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Yoga guru Baba Ramdev
The BJP's top leadership, including its prime ministerial hopeful
Narendra Modi, shared stage with Baba Ramdev in the national capital today. Mr Modi was the chief guest at the foundation day of the yoga guru's Bharat Swabhiman Trust in Delhi's Talkatora Stadium.
"I had two options: one was Modi and the other was 'shehzada' who couldn't do anything in 12 years. Give Modi your backing and send him to parliament with 300 MPs so he becomes PM," Baba Ramdev said.
'Shehzada' or 'prince' is how Mr Modi has been addressing Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, refusing to name him directly in his speeches.
While the Gujarat Chief Minister steered clear of any mention of
Arvind Kejriwal or the AAP phenomenon in his speech, he did say elections have become people's movement now. (
Highlights of Narendra Modi's speech)
"This (general elections due by May) will be the first election since independence which will destroy all traditions. Usually polls are fought by political parties and candidates. This is the first time elections are becoming people's movement in themselves and political parties are being forced to fight it on the agenda of development," the 63-year-old leader said.
The BJP's prime ministerial candidate today promised to review and reform the taxation system in the country, calling the existing structure a burden on the common man.
"There is a need to reform it and introduce a new system. It is the need of the time," Mr Modi said. The statement backed Baba Ramdev's demand that taxes of all kinds must be abolished to be replaced by a single tax, the 'Banking Transaction Tax'.
Mr Modi's remarks assume significance since his party, the BJP, has been talking about abolition of taxes in its internal meetings.
Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, who is heading the team preparing the party's vision document, last month said he was contemplating incorporating a proposal to abolish income, sales and excise taxes in it.