JD(U) plays down Gadkari's remark backing Modi as PM candidate

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NDA ally JD-U, which has been distancing itself from Narendra Modi, on Monday refused to attach any significance to BJP president Nitin Gadkari's remarks favouring the Gujarat Chief Minister as party's Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"2014 is far away. By then much water would have flown in the Ganges. Let us see what happens in future," party chief Sharad Yadav told reporters.

Asked whether his party has no objection to projection of Modi as Prime Ministerial candidate of BJP, Yadav merely said, "Everything is there in the reply that I have given."

"We have nothing to comment on what somebody has said. This is their party issue. You better ask the BJP," was Yadav's refrain to repeated queries on whether his party was comfortable with the idea of BJP projecting Modi.

Gadkari had said on Sunday that "Modi has good potential to be BJP president and PM..." JD-U had not allowed election campaign by Modi in Bihar in the last Lok Sabha elections.

The antagonism between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Modi has surfaced in public domain many times. Kumar is also tipped to be in race for Prime Minister, though he had always dismissed such suggestions.

Yadav was talking to newsmen after meeting the Election Commission here. Raising the issue of paid news, the JD(U) leader asked the Election Commission to find a way out alleging almost 50 per cent of poll expenditure of political parties was for such activities.

During the meeting, the JD-U chief also demanded that the officers posted during farmers' agitation last year in Bhatta Parsaul in Greater Noida areas should be withdrawn from duty during elections as they ‘cannot be expected to function in a neutral manner’.

The party has fielded farmer leader Manveer Singh Tevatia from the area. Tevati's wife Nutan also accompanied Yadav during his meeting with the EC.