Kolkata: Terming the change of guard in the Bharatiya Janata Party as a "virtual coup", Communist Party of India leader AB Bardhan on Thursday said that the projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the National Democratic Alliance's prime ministerial candidate would create severe repercussion as most of its members were against the idea.
"The sudden emergence of Rajnath Singh as BJP president is virtually in the nature of a coup. Gadkari has gone and Rajnath Singh has come and the operation took just 12 hours," he told reporters. He said the change had taken place without any discussion on policy issues; it only represented their factionalism and the domination of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Asked to comment on the demand by a section of BJP leaders to nominate Modi as the BJP president, Bardhan said it was a highly controversial issue.
"If they decide on Narendra Modi, then there will be a lot of repercussion and that too within NDA. What will happen to the stand taken by JD(U)? Will it accept him as PM candidate? What about Shiv Sena and others?" Bardhan wondered. The veteran leader said that Modi is a "communal element" and that the BJP as a whole is "communal". It can no way be an alternative to the UPA. The only alternative is unity of Left and democratic forces.
Bardhan stressed the need to strengthen the Left and democratic forces in the country to put up an alternative to both the UPA and the NDA regime. He also demanded that the recommendations of Justice Verma commission be implemented by the UPA regime within the next a month.
"Just as it took one month for Justice Verma Commission to give its report, we hope that the government will not take more than one month to come out with its final amendment of laws," he said. The way the Justice Verma Commission had filed its report within one month, it proved the urgency of the situation, Bardhan said.
Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar said a few days back that the views of various ministries were being sought on the report which recommended amendments to the law to provide for more stringent punishment for crimes against women, but not death sentence.
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