Panjim, May 8 (Agencies) : The Bharatiya Janata Party could not take any decision on making Narendra Modi as campaign committee chief for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections at the ongoing National Executive meeting here on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, the BJP was in a dilemma over appointing Narendra Modi as poll panel chief in the absence of senior party leader, LK Advani, and few others heavyweights, who have not turned up for the BJP’s meeting here as they are said to be opposed to such a move.
However, reports suggest that the BJP is keen to make a big announcement about Modi on the third and the last day of the National Executive meet tomorrow and the RSS has also given its go-ahead to it, but Advani and his camp, comprising leaders like Uma Bharti, Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha and Yogi Adityananth, are playing spoilsport and hurting party’s image.
“Currently, Narendra Modi is a member of BJP Parliamentary Board an no decision has been taken yet to make him the poll panel chief,” BJP national spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.
During a press conference here, she said, “If party wants to give Modi any other role, it will be announced to the media.”
While condemning the protests outside party patriarch LK Advani's house earlier today Sitharaman added that no BJP cadre was involved in the demonstration. Advani is staying away from BJP's National Executive meet in Goa citing health reasons.
Meanwhile, hitting out at the Centre she said, “The UPA government has failed to check terrorism and Naxalism.”
“UPA is handling Maoist issue in a confused, laid-back manner. Whereas Chhattisgarh government has put in best efforts to tackle Naxal problem,” BJP national spokesperson said.
Claiming that during the NDA regime, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had successfully run an alliance of 23 parties, the BJP leader said, “Appeasement politics is never going to benefit the country.”
BJP blames Congress for Maoism, terrorism
Condemnation of the recent rebel attack on a Congress convoy in Chhattisgarh reflected strongly in a resolution on security passed today by the BJP's national executive here, as the party blamed the Congress for the escalating Maoism and terrorism.
Nirmala Sitharaman, while conveying details of the resolution to the media, indirectly also blamed the Congress for last month's attack on its own leaders in Chhattisgarh.
"We have condemned the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh. The NIA probe has now raised suspicion on the Congress leaders, saying some of them were talking on phone with the Maoists. What do we need to say," Sitharaman said.
She also said that the Congress-led government at the centre at present and previous Congress governments were to be blamed for not being able to arrest the menace of terrorism and Maoism in the country.
"The BJP has a multi-pronged strategy, spread over 10 years. If we come to power, we will fight these problems," she said.
The resolution on "security and self-pride" passed by the party blamed the Congress for giving communal tone to the issue of terrorism.
"Our fight against terrorism is not a fight against any religion, but the Congress has tried to make the issue communal, trying to appease one community," Sitharaman said.