New Delhi: With assembly elections in Gujarat coming up in December, it's all Narendra Modi in the state with the chief minister being projected as the Hindutva mascot by his saffron supporters and a demon by his detractors.

Though Gujarat is referred to as BJP's Hindutva laboratory, Modi is virtually the saffron party in the state, overshadowing all others including his predecessors like Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta.

Dissidence seems to be growing in the BJP, but the party is busy drawing up plans to corner the detractors in case they make their way to the poll fray on Congress tickets. BJP has also made attempts to stem dissidence among the MPs and the central leadership has walked the extra mile to placate Keshubhai Patel to corner the detractors.

A close Modi associate and Rajya Sabha member Vijay Kumar Roopani suggests that the battle of the ballot in the state was a virtual referendum on the chief minister's leadership. A central leader of the saffron party says it's "all Modi" in Gujarat as the chief minister is the towering personality having even dwarfed veterans like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani.

The presence of Modi and his personality has ensured that there is no leadership tussle in the state unit, unlike in other states where there are many claimants for the top post.

"Who is Congress chief ministerial candidate?" asks Roopani seeking to ridicule any challenge to Modi's leadership.

But AICC general secretary B K Hariprasad says the Congress does not need leaders like Modi who, he claims, has been dubbed as a "blot" by leaders like Vajpayee in the wake of the Godhra aftermath. The main poll plank of the Congress was to create Mahatma Gandhi's Gujarat and not that of Nathuram Godse, who assassinated the father of the nation, said Hariprasad, who is in-charge of party affairs in the state.

Congress plans to come out with a chargesheet against Modi's government next month and has a long list of omissions and commissions to bring before the people.

Congress leaders have been sharply critical of the BJP government for the "collapse" of law and order, farmers suicide and what they called as "government-sponsored murders" as in cases of Haren Pandya to Kauser Bi.

Roopani says the BJP's campaign theme is "able leadership, stable government" to project that the development of Gujarat could only be possible under Modi and the BJP.

Despite Sonia Gandhi's rallies in recent months drawing huge crowds, BJP is not perturbed with party spokesmen claiming that Modi's meetings too were well attended all over the state.

While Gandhi is expected to make whirlwind tours, it is unclear how much would be participation of Rahul Gandhi who was recently made AICC general secretary.

Roopani says Rahul cannot make any difference as he is a "kid" in politics and has not set Ganga-Yamuna on fire due to his campaigning in Uttar Pradesh.

Source : PTI