JOIN USBJP patron L K Advani and protégé-turned-rival Narendra Modi were seated next to each other on Thursday evening as the party top brass brainstormed on election strategy, with the Gujarat chief minister stressing on the need to be more “aggressive” and “focussed” as only 200 days were left for the next Lok Sabha elections
The 12-member parliamentary board met for the first time after Advani had resigned from three posts taking objection to the elevation of Modi to the key decision making body. The leader, however, later withdrew his resignations at the insistence of RSS pracharak Mohan Bhagwat.
BJP sources said that Modi told the gathering that with 200 days left for elections, “we need to be very aggressive and focussed on campaign. We need to raise issues repeatedly and forcefully”.
Presided over by party president Rajnath SIngh, the meeting was also attended among others by Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Ananthkumar and Thawarchand Gehlot
Though the two leaders shared the dais a couple of days back as well, Advani and Modi on Thursday came face to face and the former deputy prime minister, said sources, stressed that the party should fight unitedly and show bonhomie to dispel Congress propaganda of sharp differences among the top leadership. Advani also gave his nod to the deliberations of the first campaign committee meeting which he had not attended last month.
BJP sources said that the party president was of the view that the party should meet more frequently to take decisions as the Congress is trying to regroup and take initiatives to consolidate their position.
"We discussed about the upcoming assembly and general elections. It was decided to organise camps for our party workers across the country," party leader Ananthkumar told reporters after the three-hour meeting got over. The party which wanted to form sub-groups of leaders to give focus to their electoral exercise, could not do so and, hence,decided to have another meeting on August 8 to prepare for assembly polls in Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Modi again seems to have pushed for a comprehensive social media strategy and the parliamentary board approved to appoint IT professionals for their virtual campaign. Kumar said, in order to galvanise the cadres, meetings and conferences will be held across the country. The party is focussing on two states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, in their bid to propel their chances of putting up a good fight in the elections.
Interestingly, Modi is expected to address party workers and leaders in Bihar through teleconference, where long time NDA partner Janata Dal (United) walked out of the coalition miffed at Modi becoming poll campaign chief.