New Delhi, October 29
Amidst strong indications of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s decision of not going to Gujarat for campaigning in the coming Assembly elections in December, the BJP high command has chalked out an elaborate strategy to project Chief Minister Narendar Modi as “the most towering leader of the party” in the state.
While Mr Vajpayee’s reported decision is being taken with a pinch of salt, the Central leaders are confident of winning the elections as reports of crowds during Mr Modi’s Gaurav Yatra have been reassuring to them.
When asked about Mr Vajpayee not campaigning for the party in the Gujarat Assembly elections, a party spokesman Arun Jaitley sought to defend the decision saying the Prime Minister does not campaign in Assembly elections.
When reminded of Mr Vajpayee’s campaign in the last UP Assembly election, where he had addressed election rallies at Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur and Allahabad, Mr Jaitley said “Uttar Pradesh is his home state”.
Apart from projecting Mr Modi as the “sole BJP leader” in the state, the party is going to hold a massive youth rally on Sardar Patel’s birthday on October 31 at Karamsad in which the party is going to mobilise a crowd of one lakh.
The youth rally, which will be addressed by Mr Jaitley apart from others, is being organised with a view to sending a message to the younger voters that the party needs them.
During the election campaign, the BJP is going to focus on issues of terrorism, Narmada waters and other achievements of the Modi Government, Mr Jaitley said consciously declining to use the word “Hindutva”.
While Mr Modi’s emphasis is on hard “Hindutva”, the Central leaders like Mr Jaitley are avoiding the use of the word Hindutva with the objective of confusing the electorate.
The Central leaders’ confidence on Gujarat is based on reports from the Congress camp which according to them is divided and is being led by Shankarsinh Vaghela who according to them is the “biggest loose canon” in Gujarat.
