New Delhi, June 9
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appears to have succeeded in prevailing upon the BJP not to field Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national secretary Varun Gandhi, red rags for secularists and sections of Muslims, as speakers for the forthcoming “Rashtriya Swabhiman” public rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna on June 13. In return for this gesture, Nitish is hosting a dinner for all members of the BJP, including Modi and Varun, sources said.

This has been decided keeping in view the state assembly elections later this year, wherein both Nitish and the BJP would want to continue projecting his secular image, notwithstanding his alliance with the BJP.

Sources of the BJP said the party had arrived at this decision some time back. In successive public meetings associated with national executive, national council meets, Bangalore, Nagpur and Indore, Modi was the star speaker, fielded mostly toward the end because of his overwhelming popularity in the saffron support base of the party. Post his hate speech in Pilibhit in the run up to the last general elections; Varun Gandhi is the new Hindutva icon.

Nitish was initially concerned on the consequences of a BJP national executive and public rally in Patna. He called up some top BJP leaders in Delhi, thereafter, Bihar BJP leaders sent a formal request for the Patna rally to the collector. The list contained the names of 40 odd (probably) speakers, but these two names were missing. The sources said while it was important for Nitish to send a signal to his Muslim vote bank, the BJP was equally keen on impressing its supporters that there was no denigration of Narendra Modi or Varun Gandhi if they were not being fielded for the public meeting.

So to keep the saffron heads held high, it was agreed that Nitish would welcome all members of the BJP national executive at a dinner on June 12. To keep the media out of this event, BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad is simultaneously hosting a dinner to the media. While disclosing about the CM’s dinner, another spokesman Syed Shahnawaz Husain played down the plans to prevent Modi and Varun to address the rally. He said: “Only Central leaders of the party address such rallies.”