Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shatrughan Sinha on Monday said the party should head to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls under the guardianship of L K Advani as "experience and vision" are needed to guide the party.
"Like Veer Kunwar Singh, who fought the British at the ripe age of 80, Advaniji, who is also 80 plus, has enough energy left to guide the party in the upcoming polls," he told a function on the eve of the birth anniversary of Kunwar Singh, organised by the BJP.
"Experience and vision are needed for guiding the party and the country and Advaniji has these qualities," said Sinha, who regards the veteran BJP leader as his political inspiration.
"Lack of experience cannot be compensated through youthfulness," he said in a veiled remark about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is widely considered to be the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate
Sinha's comment follows that
of Yashwant Sinha, who vouched for Advani as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate.
In reply to questions on the candidature of Modi and other probable top BJP leaders for the PM's post, he said, "The issue will be decided by the party's top leadership. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan is also dynamic."
Amid indication of cracks in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance after ally Janata Dal - United’s attack on Modi, Sinha said, "Nitish Kumar has been a dependable friend of BJP for long, hence we should not lose him."
"The PM candidate should be chosen through consensus and not confrontation," he added.
The function was also addressed by BJP General Secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy, state party president Mangal Pandey, BJP disciplinary committee head and Member of Parliament Radha Mohan Singh and state ministers Nand Kishore Yadav, Janardan Singh Sigriwal and Chandramohan Rai, among others.
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