By IANS,
Nagpur : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is proud of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, party leader L.K. Advani said Sunday. “A journalist once asked me if Narendra Modi was becoming larger than the party. I replied that if a family member is becoming more popular than the head of the family, then it is a proud moment for the entire family,” the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate told the National Council meeting here.
“The same was once said about (former prime minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee,” Advani said.
Continuing his praise of Modi, he said: “People called Narendra Modi a merchant of death and dared him to win the (assembly) elections in Gujarat (in 2007). But he won.”
Advani was referring to Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s description of Modi as “maut ke saudagar” — for his government’s alleged inaction during the 2002 communal violence.
Advani also praised other BJP chief ministers including Madhya Pradesh’s Shivraj Singh and Chhattisgarh’s Raman Singh. Both won assembly elections in November-December.
“There are few leaders like Shivraj Singh. He was solely responsible for the party’s victory,” Advani said.