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NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley has stirred the leadership debate in the party by saying that there is a growing interest in Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as a prime ministerial candidate due to a groundswell in popular support.
"There's a growing interest in Modi as the PM candidate. This is due to a groundswell in support building up among the people," Jaitley told a TV channel.
Jaitley said this was not due to a media buzz. "When there was a media blitzkrieg against him, he had the strength to survive by addressing audiences over the heads of the media. There are few Indian politicians who have the courage to do that. I think Modi has made a huge mark on Indian polity," Jaitley said.
The remarks, coming ahead of the BJP national executive and council meet, are significant as some leaders in the party are strongly pushing for an early endorsement of Modi as PM nominee as they feel he represents their best prospect to take on Congress.
Jaitley, however, stuck to the official line when asked how soon decision could be taken. "When the appropriate time comes, the best within the system takes over. Even when we had the tallest leader in our party, Atal Behari Vajpayee, it was only on the eve of the 1996 elections, that Advani announced Atalji's name as leader of the party."
The BJP leader, who is leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, suggested the possibility of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar leaving the NDA due to his opposition to Modi can be addressed.
"Politics is not about everything coming to you easily. Managing contradictions is the art of governance. In 1989, V P Singh became Prime Minister with support of BJP and Left. Once every week, he would hold dinner diplomacy with both the Left and BJP to stay in power. I am continuously in touch with Nitish Kumar. There's nothing to worry," he said.
He said the leadership process was much more open in BJP than Congress. "There are parties which have become crowd around a family and the next leadership is known when the next-era parent is born...the Indian equivalent of the US primaries has begun in BJP. You will soon know the name of our leader," he said.
Arun Jaitley hints at Narendra Modi as BJP's PM candidate - The Times of India
Who is going to support Modi for PM ?
"There's a growing interest in Modi as the PM candidate. This is due to a groundswell in support building up among the people," Jaitley told a TV channel.
Jaitley said this was not due to a media buzz. "When there was a media blitzkrieg against him, he had the strength to survive by addressing audiences over the heads of the media. There are few Indian politicians who have the courage to do that. I think Modi has made a huge mark on Indian polity," Jaitley said.
The remarks, coming ahead of the BJP national executive and council meet, are significant as some leaders in the party are strongly pushing for an early endorsement of Modi as PM nominee as they feel he represents their best prospect to take on Congress.
Jaitley, however, stuck to the official line when asked how soon decision could be taken. "When the appropriate time comes, the best within the system takes over. Even when we had the tallest leader in our party, Atal Behari Vajpayee, it was only on the eve of the 1996 elections, that Advani announced Atalji's name as leader of the party."
The BJP leader, who is leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, suggested the possibility of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar leaving the NDA due to his opposition to Modi can be addressed.
"Politics is not about everything coming to you easily. Managing contradictions is the art of governance. In 1989, V P Singh became Prime Minister with support of BJP and Left. Once every week, he would hold dinner diplomacy with both the Left and BJP to stay in power. I am continuously in touch with Nitish Kumar. There's nothing to worry," he said.
He said the leadership process was much more open in BJP than Congress. "There are parties which have become crowd around a family and the next leadership is known when the next-era parent is born...the Indian equivalent of the US primaries has begun in BJP. You will soon know the name of our leader," he said.
Arun Jaitley hints at Narendra Modi as BJP's PM candidate - The Times of India
Who is going to support Modi for PM ?
