BackBJP won’t compromise on Narendra Modi as PM candidate: Rajnath
There is no question of finding a more acceptable prime ministerial candidate as a compromise, says BJP chief
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Pune: Refuting suggestions that the alleged “dictatorial attitude" of Narendra Modi could antagonise allies, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said there was no question of finding an “acceptable" compromise as the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate.
“Narendra Modi is the prime ministerial candidate of BJP-led NDA. There is no question of finding a more acceptable prime ministerial candidate as a compromise if we come to power," he told reporters in Pune.
Singh was asked about the perception of Modi having a “dictatorial mindset" that could lead some NDA constituents to oppose his name for the top job. He ruled out such an eventuality and stoutly defended Modi saying “if he had a dictatorial attitude, he would not have been a popularly elected Gujarat chief minister."
The BJP president also brushed aside the talk of party leader Arun Jaitley becoming the deputy prime minister if NDA came to power after Lok Sabha elections. Singh claimed the number of parties pledging support to NDA had gone up to 25, the latest entrant being TDP, and maintained the BJP-led front was poised to get a clear majority.
To a query, the BJP chief said all issues mentioned in the party manifesto were within the framework of Indian Constitution. Singh also defended BJP general secretary Amit Shah, a close Modi aide who is under fire for alleged hate speech, and rejected the charge that his recent remarks at a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh had communal overtones. PTI
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