New Delhi:
A day after being felicitated and praised by the top BJP leadership, Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi today virtually set the agenda for the BJP ahead of General Elections 2014. Speaking on the last day of the party's National Council meeting in New Delhi, Mr Modi tore into the Congress, especially the Nehru-Gandhi family and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who he called a 'night watchman'.
"Sacrificing national interest for the interest of one family is the tradition of the Congress," said Mr Modi as he went straight for the Congress' jugular. "They appointed a night watchman by naming Manmohan Singh as prime minister...the prime minister is nothing but a puppet of the Gandhi family," he said as a 2000-strong gathering wildly cheered.
"Had Pranab Mukherjee been prime minister, there would have been less destruction in the country...Had Pranab been successful, what would have happened to the family?" asked Mr Modi, in more barbs directed at the Congress.
But the BJP leader, while exhorting partymen to be battle-ready, sought to play down the issue of who the party's prime ministerial candidate would be.
"Who is the person, or who is the candidate, it does not matter in the BJP," Mr Modi said to thunderous applause. The comment is significant in that the last few days have seen a renewed clamour in the BJP for projecting the Gujarat Chief Minister as the party's face for 2014. The sentiment was on full display on Saturday - Day 2 of the ongoing BJP conclave - when party president Rajnath Singh heaped praise on Mr Modi, referring to him as a "popular chief minister", even as senior party leaders and other members gave the latter a standing ovation.
Today, Mr Modi also attacked the Manmohan Singh-led government on the twin issues of inflation and corruption. "The country is sinking. The poor are under the burden of price rise. We cannot even feel if there is a government at the Centre or not," he said.
"The BJP is with a mission and Congress is for commission," Mr Modi sarcastically remarked, referring to the numerous scams the Congress-led UPA government has been battling.
"If you want to rid India of the pest (deemak) that is Congress, the ideal medicine is the effort (paseena) of BJP," the chief minister said. And almost like a clarion call to party workers to rout the Congress, the chief minister rounded off his speech with another Hindi couplet, "Mana ki andhera ghana hai, par diya jalana kahan mana hai."
The address by Narendra Modi at the party conclave today points towards a growing acceptance within the BJP of his stature at the national level as also of being a top contender from the party for the prime minister's post. But the BJP, despite the rise of Mr Modi or the clamour for him in the cadres, is far from naming him the prime ministerial candidate.
Though the RSS backs Mr Modi, he has in the past defied the Sangh and displeased its affiliates like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The RSS feels Mr Modi should head the BJP's 2014 effort but should not remain unfettered.
The Parivar is also worried that if Mr Modi's anointment is forced on the BJP, an all-out succession war could start as other aspirants for the top job will trigger a factional war.
The BJP's crucial allies, such as Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), too have made reservations known on Mr Modi's potential candidacy as Prime Minister, given the taint of the Gujarat riots in 2002. But the chief minister has, in the recent past, found support from several senior BJP leaders, who publicly backed him for the country's top job.
With the record third consecutive win in Gujarat, Mr Modi has only further been able to prove his naysayers wrong, cementing his place as arguably the most popular leader of the BJP at present.
But the biggest reason behind the hesitation is perhaps the BJP's assessment that though the fortunes of the Congress are dipping, the BJP's graph hasn't risen in proportion. Top leaders feel that if Mr Modi is projected as the prime ministerial candidate and the party fails to win numbers to form a government, Mr Modi's image as a political trump card may take a hit.
BJP president Rajnath Singh and Mr Modi met after the national council meeting and, sources said, discussed the party's future strategy.
Mr Singh is expected to give Mr Modi a special status by nominating him to the party's top decision-making body soon. BJP chief ministers are currently not members of the BJP's parliamentary board.
Sources said the Sangh and the BJP will then decide Mr Modi's role. The consensus at the moment is over declaring him as in-charge of the BJP's campaign for 2014. Which means Mr Modi may turn the face of the BJP but has to pass the 2014 litmus test.