Performance audit led to change in portfolios: Sharma
State BJP president Kamal Sharma has said that the projection of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate will help the alliance win all 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab in the forthcoming polls.
State BJP president Kamal Sharma has said that the projection of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate will help the alliance win all 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab in the forthcoming polls.
"Going by the magnitude of crowds gathering at the rallies of the BJP and SAD, especially in the name of Modi, I can say that the alliance would sweep the coming Lok Sabha elections," he said while interacting with the media at the house of CM's adviser Tikshan Sud.
"Modi is a leader who is efficient, honest and daring. Everyone is happy at his nomination as our party's prime ministerial candidate," he added.
Hinting at the possible swapping of seats with the SAD, Sharma said the leaders of the alliance partners would sit together and finalise as to which seat was to be contested by which party and who would be the candidates. "Winnability will be the sole criterion as we have to win all the seats," said Sharma, adding that the BJP would stick to its share of three seats.
Asked what purpose the recent reshuffling of portfolios of the BJP ministers had served, the state president said the exercise was undertaken after a "performance audit" by the high command. "In view of the impending parliamentary elections, the party felt that younger people be brought at the helm in departments with more public dealing," he said, adding that the party high command had taken a "courageous" step by reshuffling portfolios just eight months before the elections.
Endorsing the ongoing process of regularisation of colonies, Sharma said that in Punjab, the government had offered the opportunity at minimum rates.
Denying reports of the BJP's lesser say in the government, he said the chief minister and the deputy chief minister had always attended to the suggestions and fears of the BJP. "We raise a matter whenever it is necessary and the SAD leadership always takes it into consideration. There is no rift at all," he claimed. Sharma said the Navjot Sidhu issue had been settled and the Amritsar MP had said that he was satisfied.