 "Rajnath rules himself out of PM race, again")
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh on Thursday reiterated he was not in the reckoning for the post of prime minister (PM). Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi alone would be PM, he said, should the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) come to power.
"Let me clarify that under any circumstances, it will be Modi who will be the prime minister. A moral authority is needed for the post, besides administrative acumen. We have been projecting Modi for the PM's post," Singh said here in response to a query about speculation of his (Singh's) being in the reckoning for the top job to rope in new allies, considering Modi's divisive image, should the NDA fail to get a clear majority.
"Atal Bihari Vajpayee had 24 allies, Modi has 25. We are not a divisive party but an inclusive party. The NDA is marching towards a clear majority. We can even achieve the 300 mark," asserted Rajnath, who is on the campaign trail in Maharashtra.
Singh said his party believed in "justice for all and appeasement of none". He strongly justified his recent meetings with Muslim clerics, saying that it was not similar to what Imam Bukhari had with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He clarified that neither he nor the BJP had sought political support during the ongoing elections, unlike the Congress.
"The BJP is not for communal and divisive politics. It is the Congress party which is divisive. We believe in cultural nationalism," he opined.
Asked about Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram dubbing Modi as "encounter CM", he said, "The maximum number of encounters have been during Congress rule."
To a query on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's growing influence on the BJP, Singh said, "That tradition of a remote control is someone else's. You must have read in (PM's former media advisor) Sanjaya Baru's book."
On the 10-year-rule of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), Singh said it had failed on every front including the economy, internal and external security and diplomacy. "The investment environment has been drastically affected and both, domestic and foreign direct investments have substantially fallen. During 2013, India's domestic investment was reported at $7 billion, which is quite low, compared to other countries who have received over $30 billion. During UPA rule, the economy has completely derailed," he claimed.
On the BJP's secret alliance with Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Maharashtra, Singh clarified that there was no tacit understanding with the MNS. "Our alliance is quite intact with the Shiv Sena and it will continue to be there during the Assembly elections slated for October this year," he said.
He downplayed Raj Thackeray's decision to extend MNS support to BJP nominee Gopinath Munde in the Beed constituency. "There is no MNS candidate in Beed," he replied.
Singh denied Congress' allegation that it was spending more than Rs 10,000 crore on poll campaigning. "It is the Congress' desperate attempt to hide scams worth Rs 5.50 lakh crore brought to the light by the Comptroller & Auditor General during their audits and also divert the attention of the people during the poll process. The Congress is auditing the BJP's poll expenses instead of looking into what led to those scams," he said.
"Let me clarify that under any circumstances, it will be Modi who will be the prime minister. A moral authority is needed for the post, besides administrative acumen. We have been projecting Modi for the PM's post," Singh said here in response to a query about speculation of his (Singh's) being in the reckoning for the top job to rope in new allies, considering Modi's divisive image, should the NDA fail to get a clear majority.
"Atal Bihari Vajpayee had 24 allies, Modi has 25. We are not a divisive party but an inclusive party. The NDA is marching towards a clear majority. We can even achieve the 300 mark," asserted Rajnath, who is on the campaign trail in Maharashtra.
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Singh also sharpened the BJP's attack on the Congress, alleging it was the most communal party and had divided the country on communal and religious lines.
Singh said his party believed in "justice for all and appeasement of none". He strongly justified his recent meetings with Muslim clerics, saying that it was not similar to what Imam Bukhari had with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He clarified that neither he nor the BJP had sought political support during the ongoing elections, unlike the Congress.
"The BJP is not for communal and divisive politics. It is the Congress party which is divisive. We believe in cultural nationalism," he opined.
Asked about Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram dubbing Modi as "encounter CM", he said, "The maximum number of encounters have been during Congress rule."
To a query on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's growing influence on the BJP, Singh said, "That tradition of a remote control is someone else's. You must have read in (PM's former media advisor) Sanjaya Baru's book."
On the 10-year-rule of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), Singh said it had failed on every front including the economy, internal and external security and diplomacy. "The investment environment has been drastically affected and both, domestic and foreign direct investments have substantially fallen. During 2013, India's domestic investment was reported at $7 billion, which is quite low, compared to other countries who have received over $30 billion. During UPA rule, the economy has completely derailed," he claimed.
On the BJP's secret alliance with Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Maharashtra, Singh clarified that there was no tacit understanding with the MNS. "Our alliance is quite intact with the Shiv Sena and it will continue to be there during the Assembly elections slated for October this year," he said.
He downplayed Raj Thackeray's decision to extend MNS support to BJP nominee Gopinath Munde in the Beed constituency. "There is no MNS candidate in Beed," he replied.
Singh denied Congress' allegation that it was spending more than Rs 10,000 crore on poll campaigning. "It is the Congress' desperate attempt to hide scams worth Rs 5.50 lakh crore brought to the light by the Comptroller & Auditor General during their audits and also divert the attention of the people during the poll process. The Congress is auditing the BJP's poll expenses instead of looking into what led to those scams," he said.