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In a surprise move, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani on Wednesday showered praise on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and said he would be happy if the BJP formed the next government in 2014 and Modi became the prime minister.
Advani's words assume significance as he had vehemently opposed the elevation of Modi as party's 2014 election campaign chief in June and later boycotted the function where Modi was declared the prime ministerial candidate for BJP.
Speaking at the inauguration of Institute of Infrastructure, Technology, Research and Management (IITRAM) in Modi's constituency Maninagar, Advani said, "We will be happy to form the government next time and Narendrabhai will be our prime minister."
Praising Modi, Advani said that the Gujarat CM thought on how to do things that were not there anywhere.
"I have seen this quality in Narendrabhai for a very long time, even before he came to power," the former deputy prime minister said. He said it had been a long time since he first came to Ahmedabad in 1945.
"When I saw the Sabarmati then I wondered was this the river associated with Gandhiji? But see it today. It is impressive. There is no other place in India like this. And it has all happened now. The work done in Gujarat and under Narendrabhai is praised all over the world and it feels nice," he added.
"I specially thank Narendrabhai. He has not only done a great thing but also called me as the member of Parliament from Gandhinagar to address you," Advani said.
The senior leader also took a dig at the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and said that during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime they had kept prices under check despite sanctions from the US following the nuclear testing. “We kept prices under check. We did not compromise with the security of the nation,” he said.
Advani also commented on the poor handling of the Telangana issue by the Congress-led government.
“I am happy that when we were in government, things like creating new states happened without any hurdles. One person said Jharkhand would be formed over his dead body but nothing happened,” he explained.
On his part Modi said, “With the kind of confidence Advaniji has shown, I am sure we will deliver a change in 2014.”
