We overcame odds to name Narendra Modi as BJP's PM candidate: Arun Jaitley

NEW DELHI: On a day when exit polls suggested that BJP could be within sniffing distance of taking the Centre on May 16, Arun Jaitley said the party had to overcome many hurdles to project Narendra Modi as its PM candidate.

Writing on his blog, Jaitley identified Modi's projection as the factor responsible for the turnaround in the party's fortunes after two successive defeats, disregarding the argument of his colleagues that with resentment against the UPA running high, NDA would have prevailed irrespective of who led its campaign.

In what marked the first public acknowledgement that Modi's projection as PM nominee was not a smooth affair, Jaitley wrote that unhappiness with the UPA was clearly visible a year ago, people needed clarity on whether the BJP would be able to put its house in order and who was going to lead it into elections. Saying that selecting the leader, unlike in a dynastic outfit, could never be easy, Jaitley wrote, "Yet, despite many hurdles, on September 13, 2013 we did manage to decide on the candidature of Narendra Modi as a PM."

Jaitley also took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying he had been "absent" in the elections while his senior Cabinet colleagues were confined to addressing press conferences using "angry and impolite" language against Modi. Jaitley also said "populist" issues like the RTI and food security bill raised by Congress were "non-issues" in this election.

"When the going is not so good, even populist schemes are not able to deliver," he said.