Advani sings Modi’s praises, Keshubhai strikes jarring note

Party president Venkaiah Naidu also backed Modi claiming that the state government had done its best to bring the situation under control. ‘‘We do not justify what happened after the Godhra incident but this was not the first such incident. The killing of Sikhs in Delhi was a case in point where the government did not react for long,’’ he said.

If Advani and Naidu’s words were music to Modi’s ears, some discord came from former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel in the form of a veiled attack on Modi. He urged the party leadership to ‘‘keep your house in order by taking care of what you have. Keep your workers happy and then try and target others.’’

Clearly unhappy about Modi taking the credit for work done by him, Keshubhai cited the example of Bharat from the Ramayana. ‘‘When Ram returned from exile, people started saying that Bharat was a good ruler. But Bharat immediately gave credit to Ram’s charan paduka (footwear). Bharat said it was this that inspired him to do the good work and that he on his own did not.’’ ‘‘Our conduct should be good,’’ Keshubhai said, ‘‘and we should not make irrelevant statements.’’ Keshubhai, who’s the chairman of the BJP Election Campaign Committee, also warned against over-confidence: ‘‘Take note of the votes that we won in the last elections, but don’t be overconfident about the victory margin. Work hard for I’ve seen people gain a sizeable lead only to lose by a large margin.’’ The warning was there to be heard. ‘‘First secure your votes and then try and cut in on the Congress’s votes,’’ he added. But Modi, who was the target of all these veiled hints, was equal to the task.

‘‘Many ask me why I take credit for what Keshubhai has done but we are from the same family and I am proud of what he has done. I am not ashamed to say this is our party’s work. All the work done by Former CM Suresh Mehta, Keshubhai and my Government has been done by the BJP after all,’’ he said.

Modi got his boost from Advani and Naidu. The party president echoed his gaurav yatra refrain: ‘‘Ninety-eight per cent of Gujarat was peaceful but the Congress projected that the entire state was burning. The Congress did not condemn Godhra. They demanded Modi’s resignation, and when he did (resign), they’re shying away from elections.’’

Advani said the people of Gujarat ‘‘have high expectations from us,’’ which is why we come in for so much of criticism. ‘‘In the four years of its rule in Gujarat, the state government has handled situations which no other government has — first the cyclone, then the floods in Ahmedabad, after that the quake, Godhra and the post-Godhra riots,’’ he said.

‘‘During 1984 in Delhi no efforts were made to control the rioters. But I am sure no other government would have taken such firm steps to bring the violence under control as Modi’s government did,’’ he added. Accusing ‘‘psuedo-secularists’’ of insulting Gujaratis by calling the state the Gujarat of Nathuram Godse, he said, ‘‘After the state’s image was tarnished, we decided that we have to highlight issues which are the pride of Gujarat. The Gujarat Gaurav Yatra was for this end.’’

Advani added that ‘‘India was secular because it is a Hindu-majority state, while Pakistan declared itself a religious state after Partition in 1947. The Government of India in 1947 did not do so as it was not our culture to be a religious country.’’ Reiterating that the BJP was firm on its ideology, Advani said being a part of the NDA Government, ‘‘we have to abide by the coalition dharma.’’ He said the BJP would get 300 seats in the next elections.

‘‘But let me tell you, even if we get a majority, we will stick to the alliance with the NDA partners.’’