PANAJI, June 8:With the party patriarch L K Advani and some other senior leaders keeping away from the deliberations of its National Executive here, the BJP was tonight struggling to resolve its dilemma over Narendra Modi’s role in the 2014 elections, an issue over which there appeared to be divisions within.
Advani’s absence as also that of Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh, Uma Bharati and Shatrughan Sinha over shadowed its 400-member strong National Executive which formally discussed economic, foreign and other issues including the Maoists problem.
Party President Rajnath Singh put a brave face on the situation by saying 85-year-old Advani had been told by him to stay back in Delhi because of ill health. Yesterday the party had indicated that he may fly to Goa but it became clear that he will skip the Goa conclave which concludes tomorrow.
Given the divisions, it was far from clear whether Modi would be anointed the Chairman of the 2014 election campaign committee at this conclave for which there is clamour from his supporters and the rank and file.
Even as party Vice President Muktar Abbas Naqvi promised a “major announcement” tomorrow, Singh was said to be working through back channels to find a way out.
Various formulae were up in the air including one under which Modi may be made Convener rather than Chairman of the campaign committee and another committee may be set up for the management of election, something the Advani camp has reportedly been pressing for.
Party spokesman Prakash Javadekar counselled the media to wait for the concluding day tomorrow when the party leaders would go back to the states “with new energy, new confidence and new enthusiasm”.
At the same time, he said in BJP major decisions are not taken without consensus at the top level that perhaps indicates that a decision on Modi’s role may be put off.
Yashwant Sinha today said he had chosen to stay away from the party’s National Executive meeting in Goa not because of ‘NaMonia’, an oblique reference to aversion to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
“I don’t have ‘NaMonia’. I am in perfect health. But there could be other reasons for not going to Goa because of which I have not gone there,” Sinha told reporters.
Advani not attending the Executive meeting is perhaps the first time in the party’s history that he has kept away from crucial deliberations.
However, sources said there is a possibility of senior leader Sushma Swaraj, considered close to Advani, and others raising objections to announcement about Modi’s role in the absence of Advani.
The RSS is now said to be of the view that the party should go ahead with the announcement without further delay.
Soon after the two-day conclave kicked off, the party gave signals that there could be some decision by tomorrow with BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar saying the participants will go back “with new energy, new confidence and new enthusiasm”.
However, he was evasive when asked repeatedly whether this statement meant that a bigger role for Modi will be announced.
“Wait till tomorrow,” he kept saying.
Another leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who is also the Vice President, said the party is going to make a “major announcement” in Goa that will strengthen the organisation and project it as an alternative to the UPA Government.
He was responding to a question on whether Modi will be appointed the campaign committee head at the conclave.
Regarding absence of other members like Uma Bharati and Yashwant Sinha, he said they must have informed the party president.
“There is nothing like whip in the party national executive which can force the members to come,” he commented.
Asked whether a big decision can be taken without Advani’s presence, Javadekar said the senior leader had conveyed his “blessings” for the meet as he was unable to attend due to ill-health.
At the same time, he said, “No decision is taken in our party without everybody’s consent.”
Sources said the party is keen to make the announcement about Modi at the National Executive and the RSS has given its go-ahead to it.
“Whether Advani is there at the meeting or not, the announcement about Modi is likely,” at least two senior party leaders said.
Insisting that Advani was “really unwell”, Javadekar said that party president Rajnath Singh even talked to the senior leader’s doctors.
After that he advised Advani to take rest even though the latter was keen on attending at least on the second day.
To a volley of questions on Advani, he said the senior leader does not usually fall ill but this time “the changing weather has affected him.”
He noted that in the last 50 years, this was the first time that Advani has not attended such a meeting.
Javadekar said though Advani was keen on attending the national conclave at least on the last day, Singh advised him not to do so due to his ill-health and the opinion of doctors that he should take rest.
“Our party president said you take rest. We will come to meet you,” he added.
Singh had called Advani today to enquire about his health. He advised Advani not to strain himself, BJP leaders said.
BJP denied reports that Singh is in touch with NDA allies like JDU to discuss the appointment of Modi as head of the campaign coordination committee. “JDU has already said this is an internal matter of the BJP,” Javadekar said.
The party insisted there were no factions within the organisation.
BJP Vice President Uma Bharti, who kept away from the national executive meet here citing ill-health, today wrote a letter to party chief Rajnath Singh apologising for embarrasment caused due to her absence and ensuring her full support to any decision taken at the conclave.
In the letter written by her from Bhopal, Bharti said she is saddened by media reports which have “needlessly made me a part of the controversy”.
She said this has caused an embarrasment to the party President.
“I am with you on all decisions that you take. Whatever decision you take in Goa has my prior support. I can never keep a contradictory view. Other than our political relations, you and I have a brother-sister relationship for the last 30 years. I am always with you,” Bharti said.
She was reported to be keeping away from the national executive to show her support to senior party leader L K Advani who has gone into a sulk over moves to appoint Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as head of the BJP’s campaign committee for Lok Sabha polls.
“I apologise to you and the entire National Executive for any embarrasment caused due to me,” she said in her letter.
Bharti also said in her letter that though it is well-known that she is “scared” of flying, she was to go to Goa in a plane with Rajnath Singh on June 6 but took ill a day before.
She changed her plans and stayed in Bhopal instead of going to Delhi to join Singh and fly with him.
Meanwhile, BJP today slammed the Government for adopting an “incongruous” policy on the fight against Naxalism and charged that it has tried to give terrorism a communal colour for appeasement politics and targeting political opponents.
The BJP National Executive, which is meeting here for a two-day conclave, today passed a resolution on ‘Security and Self-respect’ where the party expressed its concerns on issues ranging from foreign policy and treatment meted out to the Italian marines in the fishermen killing case to growing Naxalism and terrorism in the country.
The right-wing party vehemently defended its Government in Chhattisgarh on the May 25 ambush on Congress leaders of the State by Maoists in which over a dozen people were killed.
BJP said the Raman Singh Government in the State has put in place a comprehensive plan to fight Naxal violence.
It charged the Congress of speaking in a confusing tone on the issue.
“The incongruity in the Congress’ policy of dealing with Naxalism on one hand whilst, and on the other, particularly during elections, doing deals with them, comes to the surface periodically. Such reports have emerged from Andhra Pradesh and from Chhattisgarh,” the resolution said.
Enumerating the efforts made by the party, BJP said it has tried to work for the aspirations of the tribals in Chhattisgarh.
“In the past nine years under Raman Singh, the BJP-led Government in Chhattisgarh has undertaken various developmental projects and enacted the comprehensive Food Security Act, which is being implemented through an efficiently run PDS,” the resolution said.
BJP maintained since Maoism is not a one-state issue, a multi-layered and multi-pronged strategy is required to deal with it.
Calling for a unified strategy to fight Naxalism, BJP said there should be appropriate strengthening of security apparatus, creation of Special Forces like ‘Greyhounds’ and a concerted and time-bound action plan in place, while strengthening the intelligence apparatus and acquiring sophisticated equipments.
The main opposition also spoke strongly against the use of the term saffron terror by the UPA Government and what it termed an attempt at appeasement politics on the issue of terrorism.
“Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has sought information about how many Muslims are languishing in jails on terror charges. The Assembly in Kerala unanimously has resolved in favour of the Coimbatore bomb blast accused Abdul Nasser Madani. The blast killed 60 people while it was targeted at BJP leader L K Advani,” the resolution said.
BJP also referred to Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s “electoral gimmick” when he claimed that Sonia Gandhi wept on hearing the death of terrorists in Batla House encounter.
“While for some perpetrating terror may be driven by religious fervour, our fight against terrorism is not a fight against any religion,” Sitharaman said.
The party said UPA ministers may try to communalise terrorism by cooking up terms such as ‘Hindu terror’ and ‘saffron terror’ and these may be part of Congress’ vote bank and appeasement policy but the BJP is opposed to it.
“The BJP condemns these attempts to communalise terrorism. It is in the national interest to treat terror as terror and must be dealt with full resolve,” the party said.
The resolution on terrorism and maoist violence was moved by senior Party leader and former Union HRD Minister, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and seconded by Chief Minister of Chatisgarh, Dr Raman Singh. The BJP leaders from moist violence affected state including Jharkhand also spoke on the resolution.
During the discussion on the resolution on terrorism and moist violence an amendment was moved by Dr Jitendra Singh National Executive Member and Chief spokesperson J&K on rehabilitation policy of J&K Government where he expressed apprehension about procedural lapses and influx of 270 surrendered militants along with their children and spouses via illegitimate Nepal route.
Dr Singh said this way the Government was contradicting its own policy on return and rehabilitation of surrendered militants as out of four routes approved by it not a single militant came from these routes and all 270 ex militants sneaked into Indian territory via Nepal.
Dr Jitendra Singh wanted to know if SOP is adopted to legitimize the Nepal route also will these 270 militants be asked to go back to PoK and go through same screening procedure for return to India? He, while expressing apprehensions about the policy said that what guarantee is there that these militants will genuinely have a change of heart and will not again join the subversive activities after their return. (AGENCIES)
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