Narendra Modi lambasted the troika of Congress, SP and BSP for indulging in “votebank politics”, moments after the state unit of his party felicitated two MLAs – Sangeet Singh Som and Suresh Rana – both of whom were accused of inciting the recent Muzaffaranagar riots that claimed 65 lives.
Som and Rana were garlanded and given the ceremonial headgear amid much fanfare by state leaders Kalraj Mishra and Lalji Tandon, MP from Lucknow, on the same dais. But strategically, they left before Modi took centrestage.
According to sources, the decision to felicitate the tainted MLAs had brought the state leadership in conflict with the central leaders who didn’t favour the idea as Modi has been invoking the Gujarat model of development across states to draw voters.
But party leaders from UP see the felicitation as part of a broader strategy to appease the influential Jat community in the western districts of the state where, they feel, the dynamics of electoral politics cannot run on the steam of Modi’s charisma alone.
The central leadership’s displeasure perhaps became one of the reasons why both Som and Rana left the rally venue immediately after being felicitated, sources said.
Kalraj said decision was solely of state BJP chief Laxmikant Bajpayi and it was in view of the “atrocities” faced by the two legislators under the SP regime in the wake of the communal violence. “It was in no way a votebank politics,” he said.
State BJP spokesperson Dr Chandramohan Singh explained away the early exit of the two MLAs, saying they had prior engagements in their constituencies.
Party sources said both Rajnath Singh and Modi had reservations against the felicitation plan. The Gujarat CM didn't want to be seen as the torch bearer of Hindutva and hence both skipped the function, they said.
Addressing the audience in the city of the Taj, Modi, probably wary of his goofups, desisted from delving into history and harped on the Gujarat model of development.
The SP government had slapped NSA on both Rana and Som for instigating the mob during the violence, however, the same was overruled by the National Securty Act Advisory Board paving way for the release of the two later on.
The Election Commission’s rap on BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi for his “khooni panja” remark comes days after the poll watchdog expressed displeasure over Rahul’s “communal” references during poll speeches in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where he accused BJP of stirring communal tension and instigating riots.
EC rejected Modi’s explanation that he had only criticized Congress’s policies and programmes and used the words “khooni panja” colloquially and not in reference to his rival’s “hand” symbol.
