Congress says nation will not accept Modi

Social activist Shabnam Hashmi said that Modi's anointment shows that BJP has no agenda except communalism

The Congress Party on Saturday said it is a myth to expect that the nation will accept Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, a person who has no unanimity in his party.

"The country is watching the infighting within the BJP. It is a myth to expect the country will back a person about whom there is no unanimity in his party," Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi said.

Social activist Shabnam Hashmi said that Modi's anointment as the party's Prime Ministerial candidate shows that BJP has no agenda except communalism.

"It is amply clear that BJP has no agenda except communalism because Modi is a symbol of communal thinking," she said in Bhopal.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that such reaction against his party is natural because the Congress' days in the Centre are numbered.

"It is natural that they would sweat against such a leadership; their worry and exasperations are natural because their days in the government are numbered," he said.

BJP on Friday announced Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections.

The announcement came after a meeting of the party's parliamentary board here this evening, which unanimously decided to project Modi as the prime ministerial candidate.

"We have projected Narendra Modi as our PM candidate," BJP President Rajnath Singh told media here after the parliamentary board meeting.

Modi thanked his party's central leadership for giving him such an important responsibility, and expressed confidence that the BJP would emerge victorious in the next general elections.

"The BJP has always given me the opportunity to work for progress and development of the party and the nation in various capacities. Today, the BJP's central leadership has given me a very big responsibility," said Modi.

"With the blessings of the national leadership and love of the party workers, I am sure we will win. I whole-heartedly thank the party workers and national leadership," he added.

Modi assured his party workers and supporters that he would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the BJP emerges victorious in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

BJP stalwart Lal Krishna Advani was not present in the parliamentary board meeting.

Several attempts had earlier been made by senior leaders to convince Advani, who had resigned from all party posts when Modi was appointed the election campaign committee chief in Goa earlier this year.

The BJP President even met the stalwart at the latter's residence here on Wednesday, but failed to convince him.