Modi as PM strengthens BJP, but fragments NDA: Sardesai

The  National Democratic Alliance (NDA) remains fragmented even though the general elections are not so far away. According to Rajdeep Sardesai, editor, CNN-IBN, choice of Narendra Modi as the NDA’s PM candidate may cause some old allies to sever their ties. That the Bhartiya Janata Party is keen to project Modi as its PM candidate is well known, but the same may aggrieve some parties trying to bring the NDA together.

Read the transcript of the interview with Rajdeep Sardesai on CNBC-TV18. Q: How do you see this impacting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) performance in the polls? Already we have voices from Naveen Patnaik saying that he sees a third front as more imminent, cannot attach himself to the NDA. Do you see more people like for instance Nitish Kumar also saying that and therefore a third front becoming imminent?
A: I don't think there is anything new in what Naveen Patnaik has said, this is his line, he has always said that he will remain equidistant between the NDA and the UPA. So I wouldn’t take that statement as an indication of any broad trend emerging. However, what has happened over the weekend is that while the BJP in a sense has galvanized its carders without a doubt because they have anointed Narendra Modi, the NDA itself is still a big question mark. Because within the NDA there are fault lines which will be exposed in the days and months ahead because of Narendra Modi getting this kind of preeminent position within the BJP.
You have already seen Nitish Kumar’s party making it very clear that while Narendra Modi as campaign committee chief is the BJPs internal matter. The issue of who will be the Prime Ministerial face of the NDA will be decided in appropriate time. That is a point, which even the Shiv Sena – one of the longest serving allies of the BJP has been making. So what has happened is the BJP has been strengthened but the NDA remains a question mark because with Modi’s arrival, the fault lines will widen. Interestingly he could also bring in fresh allies. Jayalalithaa today has said that Modi is my friend. So Jayalalithaa is the kind of person who could be a pre poll or post poll ally of the NDA. On the other hand, someone like a Nitish Kumar would perhaps look for an exit route if Modi was to be projected as a Prime Ministerial face. So what we will see in the next few months is some kind of political realignment ahead of those elections but you are right that the third front itself will remain a relevant player the likes of Naveen Patnaik, a few others like Mamta Banarjee will keep all their options open till the very last moment including Mulayam Singh and Mayawati. Q: Do you think it still remains difficult for Modi to make it to the Prime Ministerial candidate or is the situation different and he is perhaps a more sure shot candidate?

A: There are differences between the Advani- Vajpayee era and the onset of the Modi era. I think Narendra Modi is being pitched by the BJP not on the basis of his Hindu ideology as much as on the basis of his strong decisive leadership. There is a sense within the BJP that the way to win the next election or at least emerge well ahead of the Congress is to position the Congress as a party of weak leaders and policy paralysis and then contrast that with Narendra Modi as being a more decisive leader who takes decisions. So that is the contrast that you will see building up in the months ahead and therefore Modi could well emerge as the Prime Ministerial face of the BJP, if not of the NDA.

I still believe that if Modi is to be the next Prime Minister of the country, the BJP will need more than 180 seats, possibly 200 and that is really the challenge for Modi. The chemistry is with him, where does he get the arithmetic to grow from 116 to 200 seats? That remains the big challenge.