Hindustan Express on December 12 in an editorial, Advani ka khwaab-e-gurezaan (Advani dreams of that which is elusive) says, “Advani is being pushed once again as they have no option, it is a compulsion of the BJP, as we have seen how he has been humiliated in the past.” Many papers have linked his anointment with the Gujarat elections and the BJP’s apparent need to put Modi in his place.

Lucknow-based Qaumi Khabrein (December 12) says that if Modi succeeds in Gujarat, he will “project it as his personal triumph, and might claim the PM’s post if the opportunity arises. RSS has done this to try and clip Modi’s wings.” Delhi, Lucknow, Dehradun and Mumbai-based Sahafat on December 13 writes, “the BJP’s strategy of putting up Advani will further damage the toota-phoota NDA.

Advani’s aggressive political style will result in reduction of the number of BJP allies.” Hyderabad’s Rahnuma-e-Deccan says, “this is the party’s internal matter, but many allies might lay claim to the leader’s post in case of an NDA victory.”

Modi’s burqa

On December 8, in a page one ‘exclusive’, Hindustan Express claims that the Gujarat Congress has alleged that a leading Surat textile trader has been commissioned to prepare 2 lakh white round caps and 50,000 black burqas to be worn by BJP workers on election day, to demonstrate to the media, that Muslims are voting with great enthusiasm which may lead to a communal polarisation between the two communities — to the BJP’s advantage.

... contd.