Narendra Modi comfortable in first big outing, invokes Vajpayee
Gujarat CM Narendra Modi`s first major public outing as national-level leader of BJP may have been given miss by party`s top brass but he surely did not show any signs of being uncomfortable.
|Last Updated: Jun 23, 2013, 07:53 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Madhopur (Punjab): Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi`s first major public outing as a national-level leader of the BJP may have been given a miss by the party`s top brass but he surely did not show any signs of being uncomfortable.
For all the controversies surrounding his elevation as the chairman of the Bharatiya Janata Party`s (BJP) poll campaign panel recently, Modi chose the occasion to invoke the name of veteran leader and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Sankalp rally here at this north Punjab town Sunday. It also marked the 60th death anniversary of Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee.
Modi lavished praise on Vajpayee as a leader and for good governance. He drew comparison of Vajpayee`s tenure as the prime minister (1999-2004) with the United Progressive Alliance`s tenure since then, alleging that the UPA has failed the nation on all fronts.
While Modi questioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh`s style of governance, especially related to issues of the country`s security and international standing, he also took jibes at the Congress and its leadership. He said that the country was not safe in the hands of the Congress.
During his 20-minute speech, Modi did not mention any other BJP leader, especially senior leader L.K. Advani who has been upset with the BJP for promoting Modi on the national scene.
"The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government tried to address the Kashmir issue. Had the Vajpayee government come back to power in the 2004 general elections, the issue would have been addressed. Things would have been different in Kashmir now. The Kashmiri Pandits would have got their rights and respect. The youth of Kashmir would have been part of the national mainstream," he said.
Modi said that Mookerjee was a "martyr" who sacrificed his life for the unity of the country.
The Gujarat chief minister chose the occasion to attack the country`s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, claiming that the "seeds of autocratic" rule were sown in the Congress when leaders like Sardar Patel, Bhimrao Ambedkar and Mookerjee left Nehru`s government one by one.
The questions regarding the mysterious death of Mookerjee in 1953 were brought into the limelight by Modi, who sought answers for the incident. Mookerjee had died in custody while leading a protest against the special privileges granted to Jammu and Kashmir.
Senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, BJP general secretary Jagat Prakash Nadda, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president Anurag Thakur, and actor and former union minister Vinod Khanna were present at the rally.
None of the top BJP national leaders like BJP president Rajnath Singh, Advani, Sushma Swaraj, and Arun Jaitley attended the rally.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.