New Delhi:
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who until yesterday did not see a clear and reliable face within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to be its prime ministerial candidate, today said he has already given his "best wishes" to Narendra Modi after he was appointed the head of the BJP's campaign committee, a role that effectively makes the Gujarat Chief Minister a frontrunner for the post.
Mr Thackeray also clarified yesterday's remarks, blaming the media for misinterpreting it, "What I had said yesterday about the country needing a reliable face was in the context of the Congress which is currently ruling. I was talking about the Congress."
Yesterday, after his meetings with L K Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Sushma Swaraj, Mr Thackeray had said that it was for the BJP Parliamentary Board to first decide on the Prime Ministerial candidate and then consult allies like the Shiv Sena and the Akali Dal.
"It is not a hidden fact that due procedure will be followed," he said today, sidestepping all questions on the leadership issue.
Addressing the media on his trip to Delhi, a rarity for the Thackeray clan which otherwise prefers to speak from its Mumbai bases, Uddhav Thackeray said the alliance with the BJP is based on the Hindutva ideology. He, however, said issues like Ram temple were unlikely to take prominence in the NDA campaign as there was need to focus on the "burning problems" faced by the common man due to the "Congress misrule."
Taking on the Congress over the food security bill, the Shiv Sena chief said the move is purely aimed at catching votes. The bill is expected to be fiercely debated in the Parliament's monsoon session, starting August 5.
Mr Thakeray's visit to Delhi coincided with the BJP yesterday announcing its fleet of 20 star-studded committees to manage different aspects of the party's Lok Sabha election campaign under Mr Modi.
The Sena chief had recently targeted Mr Modi in two editorials in the Shiv Sena magazine, Saamna, but within hours of the second article being published, had backtracked.
Mr Thackeray also clarified yesterday's remarks, blaming the media for misinterpreting it, "What I had said yesterday about the country needing a reliable face was in the context of the Congress which is currently ruling. I was talking about the Congress."
Yesterday, after his meetings with L K Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Sushma Swaraj, Mr Thackeray had said that it was for the BJP Parliamentary Board to first decide on the Prime Ministerial candidate and then consult allies like the Shiv Sena and the Akali Dal.
"It is not a hidden fact that due procedure will be followed," he said today, sidestepping all questions on the leadership issue.
Addressing the media on his trip to Delhi, a rarity for the Thackeray clan which otherwise prefers to speak from its Mumbai bases, Uddhav Thackeray said the alliance with the BJP is based on the Hindutva ideology. He, however, said issues like Ram temple were unlikely to take prominence in the NDA campaign as there was need to focus on the "burning problems" faced by the common man due to the "Congress misrule."
Taking on the Congress over the food security bill, the Shiv Sena chief said the move is purely aimed at catching votes. The bill is expected to be fiercely debated in the Parliament's monsoon session, starting August 5.
Mr Thakeray's visit to Delhi coincided with the BJP yesterday announcing its fleet of 20 star-studded committees to manage different aspects of the party's Lok Sabha election campaign under Mr Modi.
The Sena chief had recently targeted Mr Modi in two editorials in the Shiv Sena magazine, Saamna, but within hours of the second article being published, had backtracked.
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