BJP should promote Narendra Modi as PM candidate: BSY

Bangalore, May 24: Showering encomiums on

Chief Minister

for good governance, Karnataka

strongman BS Yeddyurappa on Thursday said the ongoing National Executive meeting of the party in Mumbai should, among other issues, deliberate on promoting him as the Prime Ministerial candidate.

"The national executive should deliberate on the issues rocking Karnataka, Gujarat and Rajasthan and promote Modi as Prime Ministerial candidate," he said. "According to a survey, Modi is the most popular leader of the country and the party must think on these lines and take decisions," said Yeddyurapa, who had recently pushed the first BJP government in the south into a crisis of survival. "Modi is popular because he has done great work in Gujarat and made the state number one in the country," he said.

The Lingayat strongman, however, said, Modi could not be compared to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and veteran BJP leader LK Advani. He declined to comment on the resignation of Modi's bete noire Sanjay Joshi from the BJP National Executive.

Yeddyurappa, who is sulking over the party's central leadership for 'sidelining' him, said he could not attend the National Executive due to pending court cases, but would go tomorrow if possible. "I could not attend the BJP National Executive meet due to some cases filed against me in the Lokayukta court. If possible I will go tomorrow," he said. He had earlier made it clear he would not attend the BJP meet.

Incidentally, BSY has not missed a single BJP executive meeting in the last two decades. Yeddyurappa had triggered the recent crisis with nine ministers loyal to him submitting their resignations, insisting on change of leadership of Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda amid speculation that he might split the party. He, however, said he had decided to quit the party but deferred his decision.

PTI