New Delhi:
The BJP on Sunday declared that controversial Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi will head the party's election committee, placing him in charge of its Mission 2014.
Party stalwart LK Advani was the most prominent of the ward that skipped the BJP conference in Goa where the announcement was made. Mr Modi's supporters hope - and his critics worry - that he is now closer to being declared the BJP's prime ministerial candidate.
Minutes after his promotion was announced, Mr Modi tweeted, "Spoke to Advani ji on the phone. He gave me his blessings."
BJP chief Rajnath Singh said Mr Modi's promotion was a "unanimous" decision. He said that though the party president normally speaks last at major events, he was ceding that prime time to the chief minister in acknowledgement that he is "the most popular leader."
In his speech to the 300 leaders that make up the BJP's national executive, Mr Modi took on the ruling Congress and the Prime Minister. "Senior leaders have reposed faith in me. We will leave no stone unturned for Congress-
Mukt Bharat Nirman. Thanks for support & blessings," he tweeted.
Mr Modi was also quick to offer his gratitude to his party president, who, he said, had shown "great generosity" which "outsiders won't understand". "I am very grateful to party President Rajnath Singh that he not only gave me responsibility of a new task, but he also gave me huge respect in front of workers and people of the country. I am very grateful to him," he said.
In his comment, many perceived a swipe at Mr Advani, who did not acknowledge the weighty developments in Goa when he addressed a group of partymen in Jaipur via video conference from his residence in Delhi. (
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The announcement of Mr Modi's big new assignment was reportedly writ by the party's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh or RSS to convey that the BJP respects the wishes of cadres who have been publicly calling for the chief minister to be recognized and rewarded for his irrefutable strength as a vote-getter.