BJP believes the fast will give CM leverage to catapult himself into a bigger role ahead.
If you think that the fast chief minister Narendra Modi is undertaking intends to strengthen the peace and harmony in the state, hold your breath. The CM's decision to fast for three days after the so-called clean chit to him by the Supreme Court in the Gujarat riots case, aims at further strengthening his stature as a political leader.
According to sources, Modi was just waiting for the relief from the legal tangle before he could push himself to the national scene. Now that the relief has come, he wants to seize the opportunity to promote himself as the prime minister-in-waiting, they said.
To support Modi in his mission, BJP leaders like LK Advani, Arun Jaitely and Rajnath Singh are scheduled to attend the show. BJP national president Nitin Gadkari is also likely to come. Moreover, actress-turned-politician Smirti Irani and music director Ismail Darbar are also expected to attend.
There is buzz that Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Nivnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray might attend the show. However, their attendance is yet to be confirmed.
Modi went Chennai to attend the swearing-in-ceremony of Jayalalitha four months back. And recently, Raj Thackeray visited Gujarat to "understand good governance". Both Shiv Sena and AIDMK were allies of NDA headed by the BJP.
BJP sources claim the fast is actually a huge image makeover exercise for Modi and show of strength within the saffron brigade.
This will be an opportunity for Modi to make his stature bigger and larger in the presence of big leaders, celebrities and industrialists.
"There is debate in the party whether Modi is the prime ministerial candidate. It seems the presence of powerful people will silence those who are opposing his leadership," said a BJP source.
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