Internal rift between BJP widens in the Nat Exe Meet - Goa

Bangalore, June 8: Choosing between an assertive Narendra Modi and a sulking L.K. Advani is a difficult task for BJP. But that is surely not the only item on the agenda of chief ministers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hitting Goa's shores this weekend.

Day 2 agenda

Raman Singh of the Maoist-hit Chhattisgarh and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, both of whom landed in Goa for the BJP national executive Friday, have come armed with business plans. State bureaucrats are with them too, to bolster the efforts to attract investment into their respective states.

Raman Singh met a delegation of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) office bearers at a coastal resort, asking them to invest in Chhattisgarh, which he described as having great potential, "in spite of the Naxalite movement".

"The power production is huge in the state, 44 percent of forest land is open for exploration, (it is a) hub of the herbal industry which is the future, and agricultural production is double the national average," a CII official who attended the meet said. Raman Singh also said the state would start a skill development programme to "tackle the naxal problem".

The Chhattisgarh chief minister has promised a single-window system of clearances and permissions for industries willing to set up units in his state.

Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Modi is expected to interact with members of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Sunday.

Modi v/s Advani

As the BJP rift widens, supporters can be seen divided as Advani camp and Modi camp.

While Advani supporters Varun Gandhi, Jaswant Singh and Uma Bharati have stayed away from the meeting citing various reasons, Leaders such as Manohar Parrikar, Smriti Irani, Dharmendra Pradhan and Balbir Punj have have openly supported Modi.

RSS has also shown their support towards Modi's elevation.

While Advani camp says no declaration should me made in the absence of Advani, whereas Modi camp has said that declaration must be made with or without Advani. Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha says he does not suffer from NaMoNIA. He states that he has "other reasons" to not attend the meeting.

Rajnath Singh has asked people to wait for the decision until Sunday.

Party spokesperson Shaina NC said rumors of a rift between Modi and Advani was figment of media's imagination.

"Advani's opinion is important. Party will take cognizance of his views," she told reporters.

Advani is apparently miffed at the party for not paying heed to his suggestion about formation of two campaign committees, one for the assembly elections in five states this year-end, led by former party chief Nitin Gadkari, and another one for the general elections of 2014.

Modi will address the meet on Sunday. Narendra Modi supporters have started protesting outside L K Advani's residence shouting 'Pro-Modi' slogans.

With inputs from IANS.

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