BJP’s show of unity: accompanied by Narendra Modi, LK Advani files his nomination

Mangalore Today News Network

Gandhinagar, Apr 5, 2014: In Gujarat’s capital Gandhinagar, veteran BJP leader LK Advani filed his nomination today accompanied by chief minister Narendra Modi.

While the two leaders have been at odds for several years, the party planned today a show of unity to send out the message that all party leaders in Gujarat are on board for Mr Advani’s campaign.  In September, Mr Advani had unsuccessfully challenged the BJP’s call to pick Mr Modi as its prime ministerial candidate.

Before addressing party workers in Gandhinagar, Mr Advani offered rich praise for the Gujarat Chief Minister, "I have no doubt (he will be an able administrator as PM).  After all he  has a record to show even as an administrator, as part of a government."

Opinion polls show Mr Modi leading the BJP to its strongest showing ever. The BJP with its allies  is likely to get 259 seats, just 13 short of the halfway mark in Lok  Sabha.

Mr Advani today described Mr Modi as "brilliant and efficient event manager who brought this capacity to governance" but said Atal Bihari Vajpayee remains BJP’s undisputed gold standard. "I would not compare him (Narendra Modi) to Atalji. He was a class in himself. The main ideologue of the party was Deen Dayal Upadhyay and the person to implement it in governance was Atalji, " he said.

Mr Advani was once considered Mr Modi’s mentor but today said he wouldn’t call Modi his ’protege’. 

The 86-year-old, who had lobbied to move his constituency to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, also said he is committed to Gandhinagar, which he has represented in Parliament for four consecutive terms since 1998.