As promoted, BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will become the PM if BJP wins, BJP President Rajnath Singh said as he exuded confidence of a clear majority by the BJP-led NDA to form the Government on May 16.
“Administration needs moral authority. If we have promoted him as the PM, he will be the PM,” he said addressing the media in Mumbai.
As investments took a hit under the UPA regime, he said crisis of creditworthiness is a major challenge in today’s politics. Hitting out at Congress, he said not only foreign but also domestic investments suffered. He said, “In 2013, our domestic investment was at $7 billion as compared with $30 billion in other countries.”
He also highlighted the BJP manifesto that talks about building a ‘Brand India’ through talent, tradition, tourism, trade and technology. “If we want to build brand India, then all caste and religions need to be taken together,” Rajnath said as he spoke about Modi’s popularity across all castes, creed and religion.
Further to allegations from Congress of spending Rs 10,000 crore on campaigns, Singh quipped that being the party president he knows BJP hasn’t deputed any auditors for the same.
The BJP chief attacked Congress that it was worried more about auditing BJP’s campaign expenditure rather than focusing on the Rs 5.05 lakh crore scam in the audit by the CAG. “Inflation has always been high in the Congress-led government...and the UPA is responsible for derailing the economy and hurting the perception towards the country,” he said.
Responding to his comparison to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and their PM nominee Narendra Modi was considered to be less moderate, Rajnath said their party’s opponents are brewing up such things. He said, “There should be moral politics. Congress has created this ‘dis-creditworthiness’…They have a difference in what they preach and practice.”
He blamed Congress for playing divisive politics as he alluded to his meeting with prominent Muslim clerics and denied appeasement to the minority saying that he has not asked any cleric to appeal in favour of his party. “We are a party of justice for all and appeasement to none,” he said.
On reports of differences with its ally Shiv Sena as BJP leaders on talks with Raj Thackeray’s MNS, Rajnath said there was “no tacit understanding with MNS” and that Shiv Sena would remain their all even for the Maharashtra’s Assembly polls in October 2014. However, he refused to take a stand over outside support from MNS post elections.
With regards to its new alliance with TDP, he said BJP has 25 alliances and it sorts out small differences by sitting together.