Even as the NDA alliance is being rocked by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s belligerent comments against Narendra Modi, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has come out in support of the Gujarat Chief Minister saying that the statements were being made to preserve Kumar’s vote bank in the state.
Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the right-wing RSS, questioned why Kumar had raised the issue now and said it seemed to be a ploy to retain his vote bank in the state.
He also backed the potential candidature of Modi for the post of Prime Minister and questioned why Kumar didn’t want a Prime Minister.
The RSS chief has backed Modi for Prime Minister. Reuters
“To keep alive the Hindutva ideology, the hindu samaaj (society) should come together. And the country should have a prime minister who believes in that ideology or propounds that view,” Bhagwat said.
However, the JD(U) continued to maintain the pressure on the BJP saying that the party seemed to be divided on which ideology to follow.
“There are two trains of through in the BJP: one which wants to follow the NDA ideology and the other which still belives in the the Hindutva agenda,” Shivanand Tiwari, JD (U) leader, said.
The JD(U) leader said that the 2004 loss in the Lok Sabha elections could be attributed to the public disappointment of the government’s handling of the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat.
“In 2004 the people were upset by Godhra and Gujarat riots….There is a hardline train of thought that the normal people and aam (normal) hindus cannot accept,” he said.
The party leader said that in the interest of the nation the country deserved to have a Prime Minister who was both liberal and secular.
“As a party we are committed to social justice and secularity and we cannot compromise on it,” he said.
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