Mumbai: Praising Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate’s name is associated with three ‘D’s, dynamism, decisiveness and development.
“Narendra Modi is 3D — decisive, dynamic and development-oriented, because he has done something in Gujarat,” Naidu told reporters here on the sidelines of a meeting of state BJP leaders.
“After Modi was declared the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, we had an electrifying effect not only in the party, but also in the country. Everybody is happy…It was a timely decision of the party,” he said.
According to Naidu, BJP veteran L K Advani was not opposed to Modi being named the party’s prime ministerial candidate, but only wanted the announcement to be made after the elections in four states. “Ours is a democratic party and therefore the decision (to name Modi as PM candidate) was a party decision,” he said.
Taking a dig at Congress, he said, “They have no (suitable) person in Congress (as the PM candidate). This was our situation during the Jan Sangh days. They (Congress) used to say they have Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and ask us ‘who do you have?’.”
The former BJP president also said that the polls should be fought on the planks of developmental and good governance.
“We will present our performance in the BJP-ruled states and we want Congress to present their performance in the states ruled by them,” he said.
Naidu said that BJP’s alliance partners in the NDA should focus on expansion. “There will be a realignment of (parties) in NDA… NDA will expand,” he said.
Replying to a query on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s reported statement– “vinaash kaale vipreet buddhi (when downfall nears, one takes wrong decisions)” on Modi’s nomination, Naidu said, “What he has done is wrong.”
Referring to JD(U) severing ties with the NDA, Naidu said, “He (Nitish) will repent. He has taken a hasty decision.”
However, Naidu also said, “We still have sympathy for Nitish Kumar, as the JD(U) and all other socialist leaders opposed Congress…He has to take ‘paap parihaar patra’ (expiation certificate) from Congress on being secular.”