Question mark on Modi’s presence

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Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan offers Ganesh aarti at Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi on Sunday. — PTI

While preparations are underway for the BJP national council meet in Surajkund, Haryana, the party is still awaiting a confirmation of participation from its Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who is currently on a yatra in his poll-bound state.
Mr Modi, who is also a prime ministerial post aspirant, has embarked on a month-long yatra since September 11, is touring all Assembly constituencies.
However, the BJP top brass is hopeful that Mr Modi will attend the meet, which will ratify the amendment to the party constitution of increasing the tenure of the party chief.
The coming Assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh will also be discussed.
On the first day of the meet — beginning September 26 — the party’s national executive members will formulate the final agenda of the meeting along with resolutions to be passed.
During the last national executive meeting, Mr Modi had set a pre-condition to attend the meet. Mr Modi refused to attend the meet until his bête noire, Mr Sanjay Joshi, resigned from the party’s national executive.
He had also skipped the national executive meet held last year in the national capital, protesting over Mr Joshi being given an important role in the Uttar Pradesh poll management committee.
Sources disclosed as the coming Assembly polls are crucial for Mr Modi, it is unlikely that he will skip this event, especially when most of the central leaders have participated in his Vivekananda Yuva Vikas Yatra. Speculation is rife that the Gujarat poll results will also decide whether Mr Modi will be brought to the national political scene or not.
The three-day-long meet will also see BJP leaders formulating strategies to corner the Congress-led UPA government on the issue of alleged irregularities in coal blocks allocation and other scams.