Mumbai:
There are indications that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi may skip the BJP's national executive meeting to be held in Mumbai later this month, but the party's Mumbai unit has expressed confidence that Mr Modi would come.
The meeting is scheduled to take place on May 24 and 25.
"Modi is the member of the national executive and all the members have been invited. He is our esteemed leader and we are confident that he will come," Mumbai BJP president Raj Purohit said on Thursday.
He said the two-day event will be a 'no-frills' affair due to severe drought situation in Maharashtra. Earlier, national executive meetings in Mumbai were held in five-star hotels.
Mr Modi is reportedly upset about the reinduction of Sanjay Joshi, a long-time rival, into the party and his presence at the party meet. Despite Mr Modi's objections, Mr Joshi played a large role in the party's planning for the UP elections earlier this year. Mr Modi refused to campaign in UP, saying he had his own yatras to finish in election-bound Gujarat. Even when those finished, Mr Modi did not head to UP. The BJP placed a poor third.
If Mr Modi does not attend, it will be the second time he will skip a national executive meeting seemingly because of Mr Joshi's presence. He had refused to attend one held in New Delhi in October last year; his excuse then was that he did not go out of Gujarat during the Navratra festival.
But, sources say, there are other more core issues. Mr Modi, they say, is opposed to a second term for Nitin Gadkari as BJP president and staying away from the party meet would record his displeasure at RSS moves in this direction. Mr Modi's own ambition to move to a national role in the party could be tied in with this, the party sources say.
The conclave will be held this time at the Yeshwantrao Chavan Pratisthan, which is headed by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in South Mumbai.
Mr Purohit said issues like corruption, inflation, national security, drought and "inefficiency" of the UPA government will be discussed at the conclave.
Nearly 500 delegates are expected to attend the meeting, apart from the chief ministers of all BJP-ruled states, including Mr Modi, who will stay at the state-owned Sahaydri guest house.
The two-day event will culminate in a public rally to be organised at the Babu Genu Kamgar Maidan in Central Mumbai, and will be addressed by party president Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley among others.
Mr Purohit said that senior leader LK Advani will not attend the rally since he has some prior engagements in Delhi.