Sushil Kumar Modi said LK Advani had failed to gauge the public mood in this regard.
New Delhi:
From Bihar have come the first warnings to BJP veteran LK Advani not to create hurdles in the way of a Narendra-Modi-for-PM announcement.
Even as efforts were on in Delhi to convince Mr Advani to support the Gujarat Chief Minister as the BJP's presumptive prime minister for 2014, Sushil Modi, senior BJP leader and Nitish Kumar's deputy in the government till a few months ago, tweeted yesterday, "Advaniji has failed to gauge the public mood. Advaniji himself declared Atalji as PM candidate. Now also he could have done the same for Namo."
Then, Nand Kishore Yadav, who heads the BJP in the Bihar Assembly said, "The Modi announcement must be made soon. The people of the country and BJP workers do not want anyone else."
This morning, Sushil Modi was at pains to explain that his tweet "only reflected the sentiments of the people" and that he is not rebelling against Mr Advani, the party's senior-most leader.
"I wanted to convey the feeling of the workers...I am what I am because of Advani. He is the tallest leader of the party and our mentor. But I do feel he has not managed to gauge the mood of the BJP," Sushil Modi said.
Mr Advani's opposition, say sources, is unlikey to impact the timing of the Modi announcement, expected in the next few days.
The 85-year-old leader has reportedly told BJP chief Rajnath Singh yesterday that fronting Narendra Modi will spell "disaster" for the party and made it clear that he will vociferously oppose the move to name the Gujarat Chief Minister the party's prime ministerial candidate if a parliamentary party board meeting is called.
In June, Mr Advani had opposed Narendra Modi's elevation as the party's election campaign chief and had quit all party posts in protest. The RSS had to intervene to bring him around.
He leads a group of anti-Modi leaders in the party that includes Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi.
Even as efforts were on in Delhi to convince Mr Advani to support the Gujarat Chief Minister as the BJP's presumptive prime minister for 2014, Sushil Modi, senior BJP leader and Nitish Kumar's deputy in the government till a few months ago, tweeted yesterday, "Advaniji has failed to gauge the public mood. Advaniji himself declared Atalji as PM candidate. Now also he could have done the same for Namo."
Then, Nand Kishore Yadav, who heads the BJP in the Bihar Assembly said, "The Modi announcement must be made soon. The people of the country and BJP workers do not want anyone else."
This morning, Sushil Modi was at pains to explain that his tweet "only reflected the sentiments of the people" and that he is not rebelling against Mr Advani, the party's senior-most leader.
"I wanted to convey the feeling of the workers...I am what I am because of Advani. He is the tallest leader of the party and our mentor. But I do feel he has not managed to gauge the mood of the BJP," Sushil Modi said.
Mr Advani's opposition, say sources, is unlikey to impact the timing of the Modi announcement, expected in the next few days.
The 85-year-old leader has reportedly told BJP chief Rajnath Singh yesterday that fronting Narendra Modi will spell "disaster" for the party and made it clear that he will vociferously oppose the move to name the Gujarat Chief Minister the party's prime ministerial candidate if a parliamentary party board meeting is called.
In June, Mr Advani had opposed Narendra Modi's elevation as the party's election campaign chief and had quit all party posts in protest. The RSS had to intervene to bring him around.
He leads a group of anti-Modi leaders in the party that includes Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi.
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