ANTIQUES SHOPS

NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over Gujarat CM Narendra Modi's hard-line stand against his detractor Sanjay Joshi, RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya has argued that the BJP should not project anyone as its prime ministerial candidate.

Referring to the "reports" about Modi not letting Joshi travel by train through Gujarat, RSS's in-house journal has cautioned the CM against coming off as an intolerant leader who had trouble taking his colleagues along.

"Whatever be the truth in reports, opponents of BJP get an opportunity to attack the party if such a popular leader (Modi) acquires an image of being intolerant who cannot take his colleagues along," a column in the Hindi weekly said.

The weekly column Manthan by Devendra Swarup, who is well-regarded in Sangh circles, is gushing in its praise for Modi's accomplishments, including how he has come out unscathed of the efforts, at the instance of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, to ensnare him in court cases and a plethora of SIT investigations. Yet the column — coming close on the heels of the dig at Modi in BJP's mouthpiece Kamal Sandesh — is bound to further roil the already troubled waters.

'Must review style of functioning'

The column criticizes the attempt by former Gujarat CMs Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta and other detractors of Modi to mobilize Patels along caste lines and alleges that they could have been incited by the Congress chief. However, it argues that the fact that these senior leaders had to resort to such means underscores the need for Modi to have a "relook at his style of functioning and organization capabilities".

Swarup suggests that Modi is not the obvious saffron choice for PM. "There is no doubt that besides the chief ministers of its states, many among BJP's central leaders also have the competence required of a Prime Minister," he said.

The veteran saffron columnist has also said that the BJP should refrain from naming its choice for PM before the parliamentary polls, thanks to its democratic organizational structure and can also counter Congress's "dynastic politics". "BJP's democratic organizational structure should be left for the members of the victorious parliamentary party. BJP should take such a principled stand in case it intends to make dynastic politics a campaign theme for the 2014 polls," Swarup contended.

On balance, however, his tone is that of concerned sympathizer of Modi than that of a critic. Swarup says that Gujarat under Modi has become an example of economic development and administrative competence, emphasizing that even Muslims are in the state are thriving. It also debunks the attempt of Keshubhai Patel and others to mount a fresh challenge to the Gujarat CM, saying that it could be part of a fresh plot to destabilize the state government after the failure of other machinations to trap Modi.