L K Advani says Chouhan better than Narendra Modi

“I tell Narendrabhai Modi that Gujarat was healthy earlier also. You have made it the best and you deserve congratulations for that. But what Chouhan and the Chhattisgarh chief minister did was wonderful,” Advani said.

Not only did he amplify Chouhan’s achievements by highlighting that he had turned around a BIMARU state,Advani claimed that Madhya Pradesh has also come to be recognised as a model of development.

Advani’s comments suggesting Chouhan’s achievements as no less than those of Modi holds significance in the wake of the fact that the Gujarat chief minister pins his hopes to bag the BJP’s prime ministerial candidature on the projection of his achievements.

Advani’s remarks appeared to be an attempt to project both Chouhan and Modi as equals ahead of the BJP’s national executive a week later in Goa,where the Gujarat chief minister’s supporters are likely to make a fresh pitch to project him as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate.

Drawing parallels between former prime minister A B Vajpayee and Chohan on their developmental record and their inter-personal skills,Advani said,“Atal Bihari Vajpayee implemented several developmental schemes including road network but he always remained very humble and was far away from arrogance. Similarly,Chouhan has also formulated a large number of development and welfare schemes like Ladli Laxmi scheme and Mukya Mantri Teerth Darshan Yojna and implemented them successfully. Despite so many achievements,Chouhan never had any ego. I found Chouhan very humble,like Vajpayee.”

Given the apprehensions in a section of the BJP regarding Modi’s “arrogance”,Advani’s remarks also appeared an attempt to put a spotlight on Modi’s unaccommodating approach to rival sections.