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Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party's poster boy, has finally been anointed its prime ministerial candidate. His elevation some months earlier as election campaign chief had miffed the Janata Dal (United) and caused it to break away from its alliance with the BJP but Modi himself has been doing his bit to woo regional parties.
Regional satraps are divided in their views on him. Addressing a rally in Hyderabad recently, he appealed to the Telugu Desam Party to join hands to oust the Congress, noting party founder NT Rama Rao's efforts in that direction in the 1980s. Dodging a direct reply, TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu restricted himself to extolling NTR's legacy in that regard, without saying if he would apply that to the BJP now or not.
Modi had also used the occasion to appeal to an old ally, the AIADMK of Tamil Nadu. Its supremo, J Jayalalithaa, the current chief minister, has gone on record calling him her "good friend". "At a personal level, I will only say that my good wishes are always with him and whether he wins the election in Gujarat or whether he achieves an elevation in his own party, I am happy for him," she'd said.
Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on the other hand, has categorically stated her party would never support Modi. "We do not support Modi, nor will we support him (in future)". For Banerjee, the minority vote is crucial and she would not risk that.
The Bihar-based Rashtriya Janata Dal also banks on the Muslim vote and is averse to any siding with Modi. Party chief Lalu Prasad, while rooting for Congress scion Rahul Gandhi as PM recently, termed the BJP as communal. "Both Advani's and NaMo's dream of becoming PM will remain a dream. Communal forces will be thrown out in 2014", said Prasad.
The Left parties have been unequivocal in their condemnation of Modi. The CPI(M) has even issued a booklet titled, 'The BJP Model for India: Vikas Purush and Vinash Niti', focusing on Modi and his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. The Left parties recently also called for Modi's prosecution and demanded he step down as CM.
