Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janta Party president Rajnath Singh greet each other during the party’s national council meeting in New Delhi yesterday.

IANS/New Delhi

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, seen as a prime ministerial candidate by many in the Bharatiya Janata Party, hogged the limelight at the national council meeting here yesterday as president Rajnath Singh asked the party ranks to be prepared for early national elections.

Modi got a standing ovation at the meeting as Singh garlanded him to loud cheers from the gathering, which included senior party leaders, and referred to him as a “popular chief minister.”

He said every BJP worker was proud that the party had won for the third successive occasion in Gujarat.

“Narendra bhai was successful for the third time. Every worker, leader was filled with joy when it happened (in December). The party had not seen such a success under the leadership of an individual. It is a new record in BJP’s history,” Singh said, adding the international community including the US and European Union were praising development and “good governance” in Gujarat.

The BJP chief again lauded Modi while praising party chief ministers for their achievements as party workers clapped loudly each time Modi’s name was taken.

Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel almost demanded that Modi be projected as prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

“Though the prime ministerial candidate will be chosen later it appears as if he (Modi) is the PM. The decision has not been taken (to project Modi for the post as prime ministerial candidate but) every child wants it,” he said to applause.

Singh, whose presidential address lasted over 90 minutes, also asked party workers to gear up for “crucial” assembly elections this year, including in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi - all “important” to the BJP.

“The year 2013 is important for us. The elections to the Lok Sabha may also take place anytime,” he said.

“It is clear that we all will have to gear up in preparations for the Lok Sabha when we go back to our respective place after the meeting with the resolve of victory in all the (assembly) elections and finally for the Lok Sabha,” he said.

 The BJP chief expressed confidence that a BJP prime minister will unfurl the national flag from the Red Fort after the next general elections. “The 20th century belonged to the Congress and the 21st century will belong to the BJP,” he said.

He called upon workers to not hanker for posts but work for the party’s success.

Seeking to reach out to minorities, Rajnath Singh said his party has never discriminated on the basis of religion and caste in society.

“Hindutva is a way of life due to which all religions of the world exist in India,” he said.

He said there was anger among people over the policies of the Congress-led government which had led to price rise and they were looking for an alternative.

Referring to the twin blasts in Hyderabad last month, he said the ruling United Progressive Alliance was not capable of wiping out terrorism.

He said though Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had expressed regret over his “Hindu terrorism” remark, his original comments were “part of a well-thought out conspiracy,” adding there was a mention in WikiLeaks about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stating that the biggest threat was from “Hindu terrorism.”

Referring to the 2G spectrum controversy, coal allocation and the helicopter deal kickbacks , Singh said: “The UPA scams had touched the skies, land and the earth below.”

He also reiterated the BJP’s promise to create a separate state of Telangana and not allow foreign investments in multi-brand retail.

The economic resolution demanded a rollback of hike in prices of petroleum products and steps to bring down fertiliser prices and warned of a nationwide agitation if its demands were not met.

It attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying the “the country has to suffer the ignominy of experiencing economic downslide under the leadership of an economist prime minister.” Modi will address the meeting today.