Samajwadi Party targets BJP, says 'Modi on same route as Hitler'

With signs of a rift within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) quite evident following L.K. Advani's decision not to attend the ongoing national executive meet in Goa, the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday criticised Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, saying he is on the same route as former German dictator Adolf Hitler and would not allow any other person to flourish or develop ahead of him.

Samajwadi Party leader Kamal Farooqi said Modi would very soon sideline BJP President Rajnath Singh as well.

"He is becoming very powerful and time is not very far away when even Rajnath Singh would be sidelined by him. He will bulldoze all other people whosoever comes (in his way)," said Farooqi.

"Primarily, if you read the German episode, he is on the same route in fact what Hitler was doing, he will not allow any other person to flourish or develop in front of him and he will hold that kind of position," he added.

Farooqi said it is his personal opinion that a rift exists within the BJP since 2002 itself as even the leaders of the main opposition party had had not liked the attitude of Modi.

"The way he has handled not only the Muslim programme in Gujarat, but even afterwards the kind of an authoritarian attitude, which he is taking, sidelining every other person be it from the RSS or a 'parivar', be it from the VHP or Bajrang Dal he was sidelining all those people in fact. So, the rift was very much there. But now the rift has come out in the open that is the difference and it has come out so openly now that Advaniji and all other people, Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Sahab (Jaswant Singh), Prasad Sahab (Ravi Shankar Prasad), Uma Bharti, all these people they have specifically remained outside this," said Farooqi.

"Now, it will be very difficult for Rajnath Singh in the absence of these personalities to give an important position to Modi, and if at all he goes on because Modi is good in creating pressures. Unfortunately or fortunately for him, he was won the recent six elections in Gujarat, so it has also added to his might," he added.

The suspense over Advani attending the second day of national executive meet continues even today as there has been no official word on whether the party veteran would be present in Goa where a decision is likely to be taken on Modi's elevation as the election committee chief.

Advani earlier on Friday skipped an important session of the 12 office-bearers of BJP. According to certain media reports, a chartered flight that was hired to take Advani to Goa this morning for the party's national executive was cancelled.

Sending out a strong message that there is no conflict within the outfit, BJP President Rajnath Singh yesterday said Advani is unwell and will be attending the national executive meet tomorrow.

"Due to Advaniji's ill-health, I told him not to attend the meet today. He will reach Goa tomorrow," he told mediapersons here, when asked about Advani's absence.

Modi's role in the next Lok Sabha polls is also expected to be the dominant theme of the BJP National Executive meet. There has been a strong demand from some sections of the BJP for declaring Modi as the campaign committee head.

Some senior BJP leaders, including Advani, are opposed to Modi being projected as the party's foremost leader. Several other leaders close to Advani, including Jaswant Singh, Uma Bharti, and Shatrughan Sinha, have also said they are too unwell to travel to Goa.

Ahead of the BJP national executive meet, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parikkar had come out strongly in support of Modi, and said that the latter should lead the BJP's election campaign.

BJP Vice President Smriti Irani, however, yesterday said that the Parliamentary Board of the party would take a final decision on whether Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi would head the party's poll panel.

"Well, we all know what the Goa Chief Minister wants, we all know what the nation wants and what the workers want. But let me humbly remind you as the office bearer of Bharatiya Janata Party that ultimately our national president Rajnathji has said that we all have to wait and see what the parliamentary board wants," said Irani.