BJP again backs Modi,says can return for polls

Though tension with ally JD(U) is far from over,the BJP on Monday indicated that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi...

Though tension with ally JD(U) is far from over,the BJP on Monday indicated that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who is a persona non grata as far Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is concerned could visit Bihar again for campaigning in the coming Assembly elections.

With its top-most leader,L K Advani,taking the lead in disapproving Kumars angry reaction to newspaper advertisements featuring a photograph of him and Modi holding hands,the BJP also shed its inhibitions and spoke about the controversy freely. BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the photograph was not fictitious. Maintaining that the advertisement was put out by some enthusiastic supporters of Modi,he said whosoever has done it has not created the photograph. It is not fictitious. The photograph had appeared in the media before as well. His remarks reflected the BJPs thinking that Kumar overreacted putting the BJP-JD(U) ties under strain.

Asked whether Modi would campaign in the coming Assembly elections,he said,He will if the state units wants him to and noted that the people of Bihar would like to see Modi again.

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Although the BJP came out in support of Modi,sources said there is disquiet in the party over the way the Gujarat Chief Minister hijacked the national executive meeting at Patna. Modi over-provoked Nitish and he overreacted. The advertisements were unnecessary, a senior leader said.

Despite the unease,the party made it known that it was backing Modi,who has come under attack from the Congress. The BJP went the extra mile to replay the merchant of death barb that the Gujarat CM had hurled at Congress president Sonia Gandhi. I do not think it is wrong to ask the Congress president and the Congress government to reveal the maut ke saudagar behind the Bhopal tragedy, Rudy said.Whenever such a question is posed,there should be an answer….He (Modi) raised the right question. And there is no difference among other members of the party on the question posed, Rudy added.

The BJP also demanded that the Group of Ministers should find out details of how a chief minister,using his discretionary powers,allowed Warren Anderson to leave the state. Rudy said it would be impossible to believe that Anderson left the country without the knowledge of the then External Affairs Minister,a portfolio held by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Controversy only to fool people: Cong

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday took a swipe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the advertisement row involving him and Narendra Modi saying that the controversy was only to fool the people of Bihar. He (Nitish) has worked with the BJP for the last four-and-a-half years. There is no difference between the BJP and Modi…. This (ad controversy) was to fool the people of the state, AICC general secretary in-charge of Bihar Mukul Wasnik told reporters here after chairing a meeting of the coordination team and observers for the state. Wasnik,who recently took over as the party in-charge of the poll-bound state,said,People of Bihar will respond to it at an appropriate time.PTI