The Hindu : National : 'Compromise formula' on Gujarat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 25, 2004

National

National

'Compromise formula' on Gujarat

By Neena Vyas

MUMBAI, JUNE 24. There was clear evidence here today that the Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to work out a compromise on the leadership issue in Gujarat. The Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, seems to be the beneficiary but the party is expecting him to change his attitude towards party MLAs and workers.

Senior party leaders said here today that there was a "breakfast meeting" between the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Mr. Modi. This was after Mr. Modi had been asked to stay back for another day — he had planned to leave yesterday — as his leaving the executive committee meeting here would send a wrong message.

Separately, the Leader of the Opposition, L.K. Advani, and the party president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, met the former Gujarat Chief Minister, Keshubhai Patel, today on the sidelines of the executive meeting. Later at a press conference, Mr. Naidu announced: "There is no proposal to change the Gujarat Chief Minister." After the party's parliamentary board meeting in New Delhi on Sunday last, he had said that there was no proposal to change Mr. Modi "at this juncture."

However, although Mr. Naidu said today that "Mr. Modi will not be changed in a week as some people in the media have written, he will not be changed even in three weeks," minutes later, at his press conference here, he said: "No change from the decision of the parliamentary board. The words no change as of now stand."

Party sources say Mr. Modi has tried to win some brownie points from the leadership by pointing out that for the last 10 days and more, ever since the controversy erupted after Mr. Vajpayee's remarks in Manali, he has not spoken a word to the press or made any public statement. As opposed to this, Mr. Patel had been airing his views everyday.

It is also learnt that Mr. Modi has been told to change his ways and try and win over the MLAs who are up in arms against him. On the other hand, Mr. Patel has been promised that the grievances of the MLAs and the Kisan Sanghatan he leads will be addressed, but there is no promise that Mr. Modi is about to be dropped.

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