Trashing reports that he is ‘anti-Modi’, BJP senior leader Yashwant Sinha on Sunday said “the media has forced us into the quicksand of an imagined clash of personalities”.
“It is a fact that I did not go to Goa, but the reasons are not political, they are personal and I am entitled to my privacy. I was one of the earliest in the BJP to speak in favour of Narendra Modi. The reason was that the cadre wanted it, the people wanted it. He has no match in the Congress party or elsewhere.” Maintaining that they respected the elders, Sinha said “it was this tradition in our society, which prompted me to tell a mediaperson that if Advani made himself available, if the parliamentary board of the party decided in his favour and if the NDA was on board, then the discussion on the leadership issue should end”. “However, this was construed by a section of the media to mean that I had changed my position and that instead of Modi, I was backing Advani. In the last three days, I have been shown as being anti-Modi and pro-Advani. The fact of the matter is that I have neither met nor spoken to Advani since the Parliament session ended,” Sinha said in a statement.
Sinha also criticised protests outside the residence of Advani and said that Advani is not only the seniormost, but also the most respected leader of the party. “The BJP has always suffered from one weakness. We are too sensitive to the views in the media. We often allow the media to dictate our agenda and influence our policies. In the latest round, the media has forced us into the quicksand of an imagined clash of personalities, thereby completely giving a go-by to the issues of the day. The media has ensured that issues get submerged in the so called clash of personalities in the BJP,” he added.