New Delhi, July 23
The new elevated centre-stage place for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi seems to be leading his party from one ticklish situation to another -- almost on a daily basis now. A day after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan praised LK Advani as saffron party’s tallest leader, actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha today seconded the opinion, calling the party patriarch the “most seasoned and mature leader” and someone who should be at the “helm of affairs”.

BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain tried to dismiss the issue but Sinha’s open support for Advani was enough to highlight the growing discontent and chasm within the party over projection of Modi as a possible prime ministerial candidate. All that Hussain offered to unrelenting mediapersons on the latest Modi-related controversy to hit the party was: “We have heard Sinha's views. Party president Rajnath Singh is out of the country. When he returns, it (the comments) will be taken note of. I am not authorised to say anything more than this.”

Sources, in fact, attributed Sinha’s controversial remarks to him being ignored by the party while assigning duties for the 2014 general elections. The BJP had last week announced members of the various committees to look after different poll-related aspects.

While Sinha dismissed this observation saying: “I am not in the team but I am not disappointed. I do not have ‘pad’ (post) but I have the ‘kad’ (popularity). People do not know many members of the Team Modi but people recognise me.” Sources say his lack of interest in party affairs resulted in him being sidelined in the important election-related exercise.But coming at a time when anything and everything related to Modi is news, his telling views were enough to spark off speculations of growing differences in the party on the Modi v/s Advani issue. “I still maintain that Narendra Modi, though he is very popular... the kind of hype that has been created thanks to media and thanks to all of us, he has been very successful. If he has been projected as prime minister after the Parliamentary Board meeting, it would be a great thing. But the rider (is) that from our point of view, Advani sahab must be at the helm of affairs,” he said.