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No revolt but Modi should improve style: Keshubhai Patel
May 31, 2004 23:01 IST
With the Bharatiya Janata Party central leadership taking a tough line against Gujarat dissidents, former chief minister Keshubhai Patel on Monday settled for an improvement in his successor Narendra Modi's style of functioning, attitude and policies.
"There is no rebellion in the party. There are some differences and they will be sorted out," Patel, who met party president M Venkaiah Naidu, told reporters in Delhi.
He also claimed that he was not summoned by the central leadership and had only given his analysis of the party's poor performance in the state to Naidu.
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While declining to divulge details, Patel said, "Anti-incumbency and anti-farmer policies were responsible for the party's setback" in the recent Lok Sabha elections.There is some resentment among MLAs, particularly with regard to policies regarding farmers. "To some, his (Modi's) attitude is a problem. There should be some improvement," he said.
Patel, who is scheduled to meet former deputy prime minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, said he discussed all these issues threadbare with Modi. All the three top state leaders - himself, Modi and state party president Rajendra Sinh Rana - have met the MLAs and tried to redress their grievances.
Patel found nothing wrong in MLAs assembling to celebrate the birthday of veteran BJP leader A K Patel and said 'it was wrong' on the part of pro-Modi ministers and leaders like Ashok Bhatt to prevent them from attending the event.
On the grievance of dissident legislators that Modi was inaccessible, he said while times have changed and security has become important, 'it should not become an inconvenience for MPs and MLAs'.
On speculation that he wanted his supporter to be nominated as the next state party unit President, he said, "I am not an individualist. All are my supporters and all are Modi's supporters."