New Delhi, November 29
In a tactical move, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has urged Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to come to the state earlier for election campaign instead on the first two days of campaigning.
Sources said Mr Modi made the move fearing Mr Vajpayee’s last day speech might shift focus from him and might throw a spanner in what he has been able to build up till then.
Mr Modi knew that if Mr Vajpayee spoke something which diluted the campaign focus on hard and aggressive Hindutva then he (Modi) would have no time for a damage-control exercise.
The Chief Minister felt that the media would focus on the Prime Minister. Moreover, the last day’s impression made the final impact on the electorate, the Chief Minister’s media strategist was reported to have told him.
Mr Vajpayee had conveyed to the party that he would campaign for the party on December 9 and December 10 and conclude the election campaign as Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani was launching the campaign from Rajkot on November 30.
When the Chief Minister realised the dangers of Mr Vajpayee’s last day campaign he consulted his friend and promoter Arun Jaitley on the issue.
Mr Modi asked Mr Jaitley, who was the General Secretary of the BJP but in charge of Gujarat, to get the dates changed but the latter declined. Mr Modi then personally spoke to Mr Vajpayee and urged him to give alternative dates.
The Prime Minister told Mr Modi to speak to the party and it was decided that Mr Vajpayee would now go to Gujarat on December 5 and December 7 instead of December 9 and December 10.
December 5 was a difficult choice for Mr Vajpayee as Russian President Vladimir Putin would be concluding his visit on that day and several agreements would be signed.
Mr Vajpayee did not want to campaign on December 6 as it would be the 10th anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid in
Ayodhya.
