Modi to lead BJP’s blast campaign

NEW DELHI: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi will lead the BJP’s protests against the attack on Mumbai. The chief minister is expected to kick off the party’s two-day campaign in Mumbai on July 16. The decision to depute Mr Modi for the Mumbai protests is sure to see a closing of ranks in the “secular” alliance.

The “secularists” are sure to cite it as an attempt on the part of the BJP to exploit the situation. Already, parties like the CPM have begun saying that the BJP should not be allowed to use the issue for sharpening communal divisions.

The “secular” camp’s uneasiness has a lot to do with the assessment of the government on the attack. A run down of the list of those who lost their lives in the Mumbai bombings clearly indicate that the attack was not a random one.

And a sizeable number of people belonged to Gujarat. Areas like Borivili have a large Gujarati population. Terror outfits like SIMI have been using the Gujarat riots to justify their larger jehadi project. The footage of the riots are being used by SIMI and other terror outfits to indoctrinate its cadre. Although they have not been successful in roping youth from Gujarat; Uttar Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra have become recruiting centres for terror outfits.

The decision of the BJP to make Mr Modi the chief campaigner is indicative of a confidence in the party about the potential of the issue. While a large section of the middle class is unhappy with the UPA’s management of the economy and issues like education, there is a growing feeling that the government is not doing enough to tackle the menace of terrorism.

There is expectation in the BJP that the Mumbai outrage may fuel the feeling for a macho response to terrorism. The BJP had on Wednesday sought tough actions against Pakistan’s attempts to foment trouble and here Modi’s political persona could come in handy for the BJP. But this may prove to be politically costly for the Congress and the UPA government as its own allies have been blaming the ruling regime’s policies, particularly its approach towards US and Iran, for the troubles.