Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s “strong” personality has put a question mark on his ability to lead a coalition like former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who had led the NDA government at the Centre for six years.
The Gujarat strongman has not succeeded in bringing a new ally in the NDA after his elevation as the BJP’s PM candidate.
The INLD, led by Om Prakash Chautala, and Raj Thackeray’s MNS are seem to be his prospective allies while former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has been eager to merge his outfit with the BJP.
While a section of the Congress wants to convert the coming general election as a battle between the RSS and the liberal parties, it is ignoring the “incumbency” factor, governance in the last ten years and “coalition compulsions.”
Meanwhile, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh on Wednesday said, “He (Modi) has divided the NDA and is now trying to divide his party,” Mr Singh said. He also accused Mr Modi of giving misleading statements and dubbed him “most communal”.
Asked if the BJP is trying to project Mr Modi as a “secular” figure, especially after his anointment as the party’s PM’s candidate, Mr Singh asked “if he is the most secular person, who is the most communal person”?
On Mr Modi giving allegedly misleading statements, Mr Singh said the year in which he was taking about going to the Army school in his rally in Rewari, no such school had existed at that time.
Mr Singh said “there appeared to be total collusion with the SP when the VHP came out with the demand for chourasi kosi parikrama during a period when the ‘Sant and the Mahatmas’ are not allowed to move out of their house which is the Chaturmas,” said Mr Singh on the sidelines of an event.