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When the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had started projecting Narendra Modi as its “tallest” leader, a young member of Parliament (MP) contesting the current Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh approached him with a question: “Modiji, is chunav ka sabse bada mudda kya hoga (what will be the biggest issue in these elections)?”
He had expected Modi to cite Hindutva or vikas (development).
“Mudda?” asked Modi, flicking an invisible speck of dust off his sleeve and looking up. “Mudda to sirf ek hi hai: Narendra Modi (there is only one issue: Narendra Modi).”
Dumbfounded, the MP retreated hastily.
The incident raises an issue many in the BJP are increasingly becoming uncomfortable about — the BJP seems to be about Modi alone.
Recently, party president Rajnath Singh had to quickly recalibrate his statement and correct himself when he tweeted: “Abki baar BJP sarkar (A BJP government this time),” reissuing the tweet as “Abki baar Modi sarkar (A Modi government this time).”
On Sunday, party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi said the wave in India was for the BJP, as an alternative to the Congress. Sushma Swaraj’s campaign in Vidisha has little or no mention of Narendra Modi; there are just two slogans: “Sansad me sashakt aawaz, Sushma Swaraj (Strong voice in Parliament: Sushma Swaraj),” and “Desh ka neta kaisa ho? Sushma Swaraj jaisa ho (What should the country’s leader be like? Like Sushma Swaraj)”.
During the recent election campaign in Vidarbha, Modi addressed rallies in Amravati and Akola but didn’t address any meetings for Nitin Gadkari, the former party president, who let it be known that he did not really need Modi to campaign for him (not the least because Nagpur has a sizable Muslim population).
A BJP MP from Bihar told Business Standard: “We have spent very little time with Modi. We don’t really know him that well.”
Many in the party, however, swear by Modi. Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the BJP’s candidate in Saran, was one of the first to call for Modi to become the party’s prime ministerial candidate. Through her campaign, the signature sign-off line of Meenakshi Lekhi, the party’s candidate from New Delhi, was, “Har har Modi; ghar ghar Modi”. Another candidate, Smriti Irani, has been one of the most vociferous supporters of the leader, through the ‘Modi for PM’ campaign.
A BJP leader was quoted as saying, “Rebellion by senior and old leaders is also an opportunity for Modi to re-establish and re-emphasise his position as a strong leader, one who can take seemingly cruel decisions for the sake of improving the party.”
Middle-level members of the party are keeping their counsel. Modi could be their ticket to victory but many would rather wait for the results before taking a stand.
