Patna, Aug. 9: Despite the Janata Dal (United) having frequently made its unwillingness to allow Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary, Mr Varun Gandhi, campaign in Bihar clear, the BJP keeps playing hide-and-seek on the issue apparently to test its ally’s nerves and to measure the Opposition parties’ mood for raising charges of communalism against the saffron party in the imminent Assembly polls.
A day after both, JD(U) national president, Mr Sharad Yadav and the Bihar Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, unequivocally said in Delhi that the party’s arrangement with the BJP during the 2005 Assembly polls would continue, former BJP chief, Mr Rajnath Singh, chose to ignore the JD(U)’s growing protests against Mr Modi and Mr Gandhi. Mr Singh said the JD(U) had made no such demand or request to the BJP leadership so far.
“The JD(U) has never told the BJP about Narendra Modi and Varun Gandhi. These questions are completely irrelevant. There is no context to these questions. The JD(U) is the BJP’s ally for over 15 years and along with the BJP it has taken Bihar very far on the path of progress in the past five years,” said Mr Singh to reporters at the BJP’s Bihar state headquarters on Monday.
When reminded of Mr Sharad Yadav’s statements at a press conference in Delhi on Sunday about Mr Modi and Mr Gandhi having no chance of campaigning in Bihar, Mr Singh said, “Sharadjee and I have spoken later. His statements at the press conference were for the TV news channels”.
Mr Singh evaded more pressing questions asking him to clarify the BJP’s stand on the likelihood of campaigning by the Gujarat chief minister and the Pilibhit MP. He laughed and told reporters, “Being so intelligent yourselves, you are putting question marks on my intelligence”.
BJP sources said while the party is currently wooing Bihar’s Muslims and presenting itself as the country’s best well-wisher of Muslims, it wants to stay away from making a final commitment on roping in Mr Modi and Mr Gandhi, considered to be its star campaigners and eagerly wanted by the party’s workers across Bihar.