Modi BJP's PM candidate, Manmohan his poll agent: Arun Shourie

New Delhi: Former Union minister and BJP leader Arun Shourie has called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the “main election agent” of Narendra Modi as “non performance” of the UPA government has been helping the Gujarat Chief Minister.

Speaking to Karan Thapar on Devil’s Advocate programme on CNN-IBN, he also said move to get the Food Security Bill would ruin the country’s economy as it has terrible consequences.

“Manmohan Singh is the main election agent of Narendra Modi today. Since he (the Prime Minister) is not doing anything, people are saying that Modi lao… Modi lao (bring Modi, bring Modi),” he said.

While BJP president Rajnath Singh has yet not commented on the party’s PM candidate and has said that the declaration will only be made prior to the polls, Shourie said in the interview that the Gujarat CM “is already the party’s prime ministerial candidate”.

Asked to comment about some people’s perception that Modi is a divisive figure and he would rupture India’s communal harmony, Shourie said there was communal harmony and “the question is at the moment what the country wants is not divisive but decisive leadership and he has certainly demonstrated that”.

On whether Modi would unite the BJP behind him or fracture the top leadership like Sushma Swaraj or L K Advani, Shourie said he would not speak about “stateless” leaders in Delhi as there are state leaders.

Shourie also went on to add that Modi has organised the grassroots of BJP and most party workers follow him and listen to him. “I am sure that people in Delhi are also now reconciled to him,” he said hinting that the displeasure over Modi’s appointment as the campaign chief  might slowly be ebbing in Delhi BJP’s corridors.

PTI