BJP President Amit Shah today said that the party's parliamentary board will decide on the replacement for Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, who has offered to resign.
Soon after Patel went public with her offer to quit, Shah said she wanted her replacement to get adequate time to prepare for Vibrant Gujarat summit to be held in January 2017 and the assembly polls later next year.
He said Patel had twice offered to resign and also broached the issue in the party's National Executive meet in June and wrote to him again today morning.
Referring to reasons, including that she will turn 75 in November, cited by her to quit, he said she has set a "good" precedent.
"She has requested the party to relieve her of the post. I will place the letter she has written to me before the Parliamentary Board and it will take a decision," Shah told PTI.
"She has said that if a new person has to be brought in, then he should get time. Gujarat elections have to take place and there is also Vibrant Gujarat summit, which has been a long tradition, to be held in January. She said if Vibrant Gujarat has to happen in January, then new person should get the opportunity now," he said.
Asked about the replacement for Patel, he said the parliamentary board will decide on the new chief minister.
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Lauding the Parkash Singh government in Punjab, Shah said
the state has seen "massive" development during the Akali-BJP regime in the last 10 years.
"From every aspect, be it farming, industry, rural development, urban development, health and employment, SAD-BJP government has turned the state into an ideal in the county in last 10 years," he said.
"In the coming days, elections are coming and people of Punjab have to decide to which party or alliance, they want to hand over the reins of the state," he said.
Shah also tried to woo voters by saying that Modi government removed all "the blocks" in the way of Punjab's development in last two and half years.
"There is a government of BJP and Akali (NDA) at the Centre. In the last two and half years, all the blocks lying in the way of state's development were lifted with efforts of Narendra Modi, (union minister) Arun (Jaitley). If people give another five years of mandate to SAD-BJP, Punjab will be known in the world for its development," he said.
He also congratulated the Badal government for carrying out beatification work outside the Golden Temple.
Describing that the alliance between Akali and BJP as an alliance of "national integration" (Quami Ekta), Shah said the alliance was the result of the mutual respect enjoyed by Modi and Badal for each other.
"Both leaders worked for several times to take this alliance forward," he said.
He said Badal was the only leader who is respected by the whole country. "Punjab saw the development only under his leadership," he asserted.
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The BJP chief also hailed the sacrifices made by Punjabis in the freedom struggle.
"You can see the list of sacrifices made by Punjabis. Martyrs Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh, Madan Lal Dhingra, Lala Lajpat Rai, they made sacrifices for the nation," he said, adding that it was Punjab which filled the godowns of the country with food grains during Green Revolution.
Shah added that the NDA-led Centre was also celebrating the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh.
