With the resignation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani and the ongoing internal war of the opposition party in full public view, the Congress reacted on expected lines, describing the development as the "complete degeneration" of the BJP.
The ruling party, however, perceived "no threat" in Narendra Modi's elevation as BJP's campaign chief and with the National Democratic Alliance ally Janata Dal (United) having second thoughts about its alliance, Congress on Monday said Modi was more a "divisive force" than anything else.
"This is the beginning of the complete degeneration of the BJP. It will have its own repercussions," Congress general secretary and media chairperson Janardan Dwivedi told reporters on Monday. Advani's resignation, he said, was the first of such repercussions.
"Modi has proved to be a divisive force not just within the country but within his own party as well," Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury told Business Standard. She stressed on the "complete disconnect" the main Opposition party appears to suffer from.
Shashi Tharoor, minister of state for human resource development, took to Twitter to air his views: "So this is why they called BJP "a party with a difference"! In Congress our leaders defer to each other, in BJP they differ with each other."
Speaking to Business Standard, Congress general-secretary Birendra Chaudhry rejected the view that the Congress would need to take Modi more seriously, especially after his elevation. "Modi is not a factor for us. Rather, his appointment as chief campaigner would help consolidate the minority vote into the Congress fold." Chaudhry argues that the "so-called mobilisation of the Hindu vote is a myth. There are several regions in the country, which do not vote on religious lines."
Earlier, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had told reporters: "It's clear that Modi has always chopped off the hands which promoted him. That is why we would like to caution Rajnath Singh". Adding, "He (Advani) was a man who took the BJP tally from two in 1984 to 182. If this person has demanded some more time and asked to wait for a while, or demanded setting up of two committees, including one headed by former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, what was the problem in waiting for a while? What was the hurry? After all, they were not going to miss a plane."
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, an ally of the United Progressive Alliance, took a dig at the Opposition party, tweeting: "If his opinion didn't matter to you yesterday, why is his resignation a crisis for you today?"
JD(U) reacts
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said the Janta Dal(United) would revisit its strategy on Modi. The JD(U) senior also dropped enough hints that his party might not stick to its "year-end deadline".
"I have read and heard the news (about Modi). Our party will consider the latest development and then we will clarify our stand," Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of his weekly "Janta Durbar."
When asked when his party would make its stand clear, the chief minister said, "Very soon."
On a question about JD-U's "year-end deadline" to its senior coalition partner, Nitish said, "I have already answered this question. We will consider the latest developments very soon and clarify our stand."
Sources within the JD-U indicate that the party is likely to call a meeting of its senior leaders within a week.
Kumar also said he did not receive any phone calls from BJP president Rajnath Singh during the saffron party's national executive meet in Goa.
"I have not spoken to Rajnath ji in the last few days. I did not receive any calls from him. Therefore, I was a bit surprised when I saw news about this."
Earlier, the JD-U had termed Modi's promotion as an internal matter of the BJP. However, after the latest events, JD-U leaders expect another round of Modi-bashing from the Bihar chief minister.
Kumar's opposition to his Gujarat counterpart is not new. He often criticised Modi's style of functioning, which created severe strain on the alliance between the JD-U and the BJP, both at the national level and in Bihar. Several party leaders termed the tension between the two parties as the prime reason behind JD-U losing the prestigious Maharajganj bypoll to its arch rival Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal.
