Chouhan can be PM: Advani

Though he refused to be drawn into the debate over his successor, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani mentioned Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the same breath as Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

Asked if he saw the Gujarat chief minister as his successor, Advani evaded a direct reply. Instead, he said: “The BJP has systematically groomed the second generation of its leaders for the prime ministerial post. I am amazed by the excellent work done by the Madhya Pradesh chief minister [Shivraj Singh Chouhan] in the last three years.”

Advani, who was addressing a press conference, also said: “Modi has done good work in Gujarat. We have several candidates who have the calibre to be prime minister.

“When Modi is praised, I feel very happy. If the younger generation (of leaders) achieves more, it’s a matter of pride for us. But people want to denigrate Modi or imply that there is a fight within the party.”

Clarifying that there was no confusion over the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate for the current Lok Sabha election, Advani said, “The last word on the PM debate has been said by Modi (who acknowledged Advani’s claim to the PM’s post) himself.”