Ambushed Modi lives on borrowed time

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: Even as BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu categorically stated on Friday that there was no proposal to replace Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister, the clock seems to be ticking.<br /><br />Once the poster-boy of Hindutva, Modi seems to have exhausted his goodwill with the BJP leadership. Well-placed BJP sources indicated the party is looking for an appropriate moment, possibly when the Supreme Court resumes its hearings on the Best Bakery case in which the court had damagingly observed that the authorities in Gujarat fiddled like ‘modern day Neroes’ while the state burned'' and other riot-related cases in July.<br /><br />The pressure is building up not just in the Gujarat BJP unit and RSS, especially the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, with whom Modi has tangled, but also from other sections in the party, such as former union minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain who attributed his defeat in Kishanganj to Gujarat, and allies such as Trinamul Congress, TDP and Shiv Sena.As BJP begins to assess why it lost the recent polls, one factor coming up is Gujarat.<br /><br />Till BJP finally decides Modi''s fate, the attempt is on damage control so as not to give the Congress leverage. Naidu''s statement on Friday came after a meeting with dissident leader and former Gujarat CM Suresh Mehta.<br /><br />Naidu said rebel MLA Purshottam Solanki had telephoned him to apologise for his public statement. "I have advised them that the state assembly session is on and they should help the government in countering the Opposition.<br /><br />The statement to the media is neither in the interest of the party nor in their interest."<br /><br />With the demand to replace Modi as Gujarat chief minister gathering momentum, Mehta rushed to the capital to discuss the political situation with Naidu and earlier with general secretary (organisation) Sanjay Joshi. He briefed the leaders about the growing resentment within the state unit against Modi''s "style of functioning", party sources said.<br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><br /><br />Mehta is also expected to meet other top party leaders, including former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former deputy PM L K Advani on Saturday.<br /><br />On his part, Advani told reporters on Friday that efforts were on to resolve the crisis in Gujarat.<br /><br />"Naidu is holding talks with Gujarat leaders. I am confident that the problem (<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">uthal puthal</span>) would be resolved," he said.<br /><br />Asked about the criticism that the handling of the Gujarat riots contributed to the National Democratic Alliance''s poll debacle, he said, "We will consider all aspects."<br /><br />On whether the party regretted not accepting Modi''s resignation at the Goa national executive in the aftermath of the communal violence in the state, he said, "The assembly polls were held after that and it showed what the people of Gujarat wanted."</div> </div>