Narendra Modi stands tall amid criticism, dissidence

NEW DELHI: With Assembly elections in Gujarat coming up in December, it's all Narendra Modi in the state with the chief minister being projected as the Hindutva mascot by his saffron supporters and a demon by his detractors.

Though Gujarat is referred to as BJP's Hindutva laboratory, Modi is virtually the saffron party in the state, overshadowing all others including his predecessors like Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta.

Dissidence seems to be growing in the BJP, but the party is busy drawing up plans to corner the detractors in case they make their way to the poll fray on Congress tickets.

BJP has also made attempts to stem dissidence among the MPs and the central leadership has walked the extra mile to placate Keshubhai Patel to corner the detractors.

A close Modi associate and Rajya Sabha member Vijay Kumar Roopani suggests that the battle of the ballot in the state was a virtual referendum on the chief minister's leadership.

A central leader of the saffron party says it's "all Modi" in Gujarat as the chief minister is the towering personality having even dwarfed veterans like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani.

The presence of Modi and his personality has ensured that there is no leadership tussle in the state unit, unlike in other states where there are many claimants for the top post.