New Delhi: A silent debate is raging in the BJP on whether it was prudent to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi the main face in the bitterly fought and crucial Bihar polls. A section of the party leaders feel that by launching a Modi blitzkreig in Bihar the party has “overexposed” the Prime Minister.
That the entire campaign was depending on Modi charisma became evident when the Prime Minister, expected to hold nearly 40 rallies even addressed meetings at block headquarters. A defeat in Bihar elections, this section of saffron leaders feel, could “majorly damage” the image of Narendra Modi as a “vote catcher” for the party. There is also a perception that BJP’s relentless attack on Lalu Prasad Yadav was uniting the Yadavs.
The move to make Mr Modi spearhead the Bihar campaign virtually singlehandedly has also exposed BJP’s lack of credible leadership in the state at this juncture. The party’s spin doctors were of the opinion that none of the Bihar BJP leaders could “match upto Nitish Kumar.”
It was then the party decided to unleash the Modi charisma to cut across caste in the assembly polls. In Lok Sabha it was the Modi magic which got BJP 22 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats. Yet again the party is depending solely on the Prime Minister to win.
However, a section of leaders while speaking to this newspaper described this as a “double edged sword.” It was argued that if the BJP managed to win comfortably the Modi spell over the country would only “strengthen.” After the failure in Delhi assembly polls, the BJP riding on Mr Modi “will yet again rise like a phoenix.” But, a defeat would not only send the party running for cover but it “will deal a severe blow to Modi's grip over the nation.”
The Prime Minister would be held responsible either for a victory or a defeat in the Bihar polls as “he is the face of the BJP.” It was revealed that this particular section had initially cautioned the party of the “overexposure” of the Prime Minister. However, lack of credible leadership in the state “forced the party to take this political gamble” This particular section of leaders further argued that relentless attack on the RJD chief, Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav by the top BJP leadership could just “boomerang.”
It was claimed repeated attacks on Lalu Prasad Yadav was “uniting the Yadavs in favour of RJD.” A senior party functionary said that it has been conveyed to the top leadership to tone down its attack on the RJD chief. Yet only on Friday the PM launched another scathing attack on the RJD chief and called him the “big boss who wants to run Bihar by remote control”.
