Unhappy about Gujarat chief minister and BJP’s star campaigner Narendra Modi’s reluctance to campaign for his party in the poll-bound states, including the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, the RSS has finally intervened.
Sources disclosed that while mounting pressure on Mr Modi to hit the campaign trail in UP, the RSS has cautioned Mr Modi that he should give priority to the organisation than self.
The RSS, it was learnt, has also told Mr Modi if there are any differences with the BJP top brass, he should sort them out rather than avoiding campaigning. Mr Modi, who is yet to give his campaign dates to the BJP election committee, had also kept away from Uttarakhand and Punjab, which went to polls on Monday.
It can be mentioned that after reports of a rift between Mr Modi and BJP Parliamentary Party chief L.K. Advani over the latter’s Janchetna Yatra, the RSS had cautioned the chief minister that he is not bigger than the organisation and reports of his rift with Mr Advani will only damage his likely chances of getting a prominent role at the national level.
Sources disclosed that with Mr Modi’s bête noire and former general secretary (organisation) of the BJP, Sanjay Joshi holding an important position in the UP election management committee, Mr Modi is unwilling to campaign in the state. The chief minister, sources disclosed, is also miffed with the BJP leadership for remaining non-committal over his claim for the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general polls.
While other BJP CMs, including Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Uttarakhand CM B.C. Khanduri and Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, have already submitted their campaign plans, Mr Modi’s are still awaited.