New Delhi: National President of Bharatiya Janata Party Rajnath Singh call Narendra Modi a leader with “national appeal” and virtually embrocate him the Prime Ministerial candidate of BJP. Singh also said that he would raise the issue of denial of US visa to the Gujarat chief minister during his meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Rajnath Singh on late Saturday said in New York, “I will appeal to the US government to clear US visa to the Gujarat CM.” The US government first denied visa of Modi in 2005 over allegations of 2002 Gujarat riots. Modi has not applied for one since.
This tour was arranged by some of supporters of Narendra Modi in Indian-American community.
Though there has been no change in the US position, the subject is being debated internally in the administration and on the Hill as Modi takes centre stage in the BJP. The party, too, had so far maintained it was not unduly bothered by the visa denial.
The Rajnath Singh is accompanied by party MP Ananth Kumar and leaders Vijay Jolly and Sudanshu Trivedi. He has been scheduled to speak on India and Afghanistan at an event in Washington, and has several private and public meetings lined up too.
Meanwhile three US lawmakers met Modi in Gujarat recently and had promised to work towards getting him a visa. One of them raised the matter at a congressional hearing subsequently.
Singh blow up the appeal of Modi and stature while ruling him out of the race to be the PM candidate for BJP in meeting. Singh said, “He is a crowd-puller not only in Gujarat but also in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar from north to south, east to west. He is one single leader with national appeal.”
“It’s not necessary that the party president should also be a crowd-puller and a prime ministerial candidate. I have an assignment to do. I have a job to deliver — victory of the party in the 2014 elections.”
“Seven months before the elections, I have nominated Narendra Modi chairman of the party’s election campaign committee. What is unusual in that? I have named him campaign head in view of his image, popularity and commitment to the party,” Singh added.
Bureau Report
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