Narendra Modi is a secular leader: Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh in an exclusive interview with Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary said that Narendra Modi was a ‘secular’ leader.

Zee Media Bureau New Delhi: A day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took a dig at Narendra Modi and his model of development, BJP national president Rajnath Singh in an exclusive interview with Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary said on Monday that the Gujarat Chief Minister was a ‘secular’ leader. While emphasizing that Narendra Modi was not communal, Rajnath said that the BJP was a secular party and that the Gujarat CM was a part of it. “BJP is a secular political party and Narendra Modi is a part of it. Everyone working in the party is secular,” Rajnath Singh said categorically. Rajnath Singh also reiterated that Modi was one of the most popular leader of the country. “This is a truth that no one can deny,” he said. When asked about the fact that some senior BJP leaders had proposed the name of party patriarch LK Advani as the PM candidate for 2014 General Elections, BJP president said that Advani was their senior leader and as far as the issue of PM candidate was concerned it was not for him but the party’s parliamentary board to decide as to who will lead them in 2014. He had the same answer on the name of Sushma Swaraj doing the rounds as a likely candidate for PM. On chances of Modi being the named BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Rajnath said, “That too would be decided by the party’s parliamentary board.” Lashing out at the Congress party, the BJP president said that the grand old party was the “biggest communal party of the country and had created a divide between the Hindus and the Muslims.” Further hitting at the Congress he said, “The Congress has spoilt the economic situation of the country. Fiscal deficit is uncontrolled. Poverty has increased in the country and price rise is at an all time high.” He also took on the Congress over the misuse of CBI. “The coalgate issue is an example of the misuse of the CBI. The Law Minister tried to vet the report. We will take up the matter in Parliament,” he said. On being asked whether he had any talks with ally JD(U) after Nitish Kumar had taken a dig at Modi and had set a deadline of eight months to the BJP to name PM candidate, Rajnath said that he had not. However, he added that the comments made by JD(U) was unfortunate. When asked whether the BJP would be ready if someone wanted to leave the NDA he said, “We will want that none leaves us.” On Nitish’s personal ambition of becoming the PM, Rajnath said that he could not draw an inference on it. But he did say that the BJP would want that the next government at the Centre should be made under their leadership. Rajnath maintained a silence of sorts on the Modi verus Rahul debate and said that projection of Rahul Gandhi as their leader was an internal matter of the Congress party. However, he did say that there was a direct fight between both the national parties as far the next General Elections was concerned. He also added that the Congress party has to answer first whether they wanted Manmohan Singh as PM or not. “At this time Manmohan Singh is the Prime Minster,” he said. Rajnath Singh was optimistic as far as the next election was concerned. “I am sure that the people will give us a chance to lead the country. We have good performance record in the states which are being ruled by us. We are the best alternative to the Congress,” he maintained, adding “Corruption is rampant. People are tired of Congress.” Rajnath Singh also said that the BJP was the only party which has an internal democracy. “BJP is also the only party which has never been divided vertically,” he added. On the other hand, the BJP president dismissed the experiment of a Third Front in the country, saying that it had never worked.