Goa: While many senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have decided to give the National Executive in Goa a miss, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has taken the centrestage at the meet. Speculations are rife that Modi could be named as the party's campaign committee chief for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and party sources have said a decision on the same is likely to be announced on Sunday.
Ahead of the two-day BJP conclave, a meeting of the officer bearers was called in Goa on Friday. While veteran leader LK Advani skipped the meeting citing health concerns, senior leader Sushma Swaraj reached the venue late. Sources said Sushma had a meeting with party president Rajnath Singh where she told him not to take a decision on Modi without Advani's consent.
Advani has been reportedly opposing Modi's elevation. He had recently rated Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan higher than Modi on their achievements in their states. However, sources in the RSS said on Friday that Advani has been asked to attend the National Executive and accept Modi's elevation. But his departure to Goa for the meeting is subject to his doctor's advice, said the sources.
Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi told CNN-IBN that an important decision is likely to be taken soon. Many party leaders have already hinted at support to Modi saying he is the most popular face of the party. "Narendra Modi has a history of making history," party vice president Smriti Irani said on Friday. Another party leader Yogi Adityanath said Modi is a "tall leader".
While many BJP leaders seem to be waiting for the big announcement on Modi on Sunday, the absence of several leaders from the National Executive is being looked as a divide within the party.
BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, however, has downplayed the absence of the leaders saying there are no "pro-Modi or no-Advani factions in the party". "You are trying to read too much into the absence of Advani for a day. He will be coming tomorrow," Trivedi said.
He also refuted speculations of Sushma being upset over alleged sidelining of Advani vis-a-vis Modi. Trivedi said media speculation about Swaraj being upset and being later persuaded by Rajnath Singh to join the meeting was "imagination".
Trivedi dodged the question whether Modi would be appointed as head of the campaign committee. "Whatever we decide on the campaign committee, you will be told," he said.
While talking about issues on two-day National Executive's agenda, he did not mention campaign committee. The National Executive, he said, would discuss national security, national pride, corruption, and forthcoming state legislative assembly elections in five states among other issues.
The two-day National Executive meet will begin in Goa on Saturday. Modi will address the National Executive on Sunday and Rajnath Singh will address the Executive on Saturday.
BJP vice president Uma Bharti, general secretary Varun Gandhi, Deputy Leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad, senior party leaders Jaswant Singh and Shatrughan Sinha are not attending the National Executive.
Meanwhile, the Congress has said that it is not afraid of Modi's elevation. "We are not afraid of Modi rise. Sangh Parivar and Shiv Sena should be afraid," said Congress MP Renuka Chowdhary. The party also took a dig at the BJP over absence of its key leaders at the National Executive, saying "Namonitis is spreading" in the state. "Namonitis virus is spreading in Goa. Our advice to the Chief Minister is to take effective counter measures otherwise it will affect tourism," Chowdhary said on Friday. The Gujarat Chief Minister is known as "Namo" among his supporters.####News Buzz: Marya Shakil on BJP leaders being ’under the weather’ in Goa
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