RSS mounting pressure on BJP to name Modi as PM candidate: Cong

Jagdambika Pal says the suggestion to name Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate is not the decision of senior leaders of the BJP

Congress leader Jagdambika Pal on Tuesday said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was pressurising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to announce Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate.

Jagdambika Pal said that the suggestion to name Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate was not the decision of the party's parliamentary board or of senior leaders of the BJP, but the pressure of "people of the organisation (RSS) in Nagpur".

The BJP on its part attempted to divert attention from this issue, and said that it has been working to root out misgovernance and corruption from the country.

"We are preparing for the elections and we are working to root out the misgovernance, corruption, inflation by the Congress party. The people of the country want this. We will announce who will be entrusted with what responsibility," said BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

According to certain media reports, the BJP will formally announce Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate for 2014 Lok Sabha polls by July end.

According to the report, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has also conveyed its support for naming Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate and has tried to bring BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani on board to back the proposal.

It may be recalled here that Lal Krishna Advani and BJP President Rajnath Singh had earlier last week individually met the top RSS functionaries in Nagpur.

Rajnath Singh after meeting the top RSS leaders earlier on Saturday ruled out reports over party patriarch Lal Krishna Advani being upset over the new power equation in the outfit.

"Advaniji is not upset. There are no differences in our party. As far as Advaniji is concerned, he is our tallest leader and a guide," he told the media here.

Rajnath Singh also emphasized that he had not come to Nagpur to discuss the party's election strategy with the top RSS leaders.