Try and do a Modi, Rajnath tells CMs

BJP chief ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have been virtually put on notice. Shekhar Iyer reports.

BJP chief ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were virtually put on notice to improve the performance of their governments and emulate Narendra Modi as the state polls are only nine months away. They were told to learn from the “success” the party had got in Gujarat.

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The warning came as BJP president Rajnath Singh addressed the BJP national executive on Sunday. He praised the Gujarat chief minister for breaking the myth that the BJP cannot return to power twice or thrice.

“The victory of Gujarat has silenced all our opponents,” Singh said, adding that the victory has sent a positive message with regard to the BJP's ideological commitment and “our ability in the field of development”.

“We have shattered the myth in Gujarat that BJP government cannot return to power twice or thrice. Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan should also try to repeat this kind of success,” he said.

“I urge the state leadership of these states to completely engage themselves with the preparations for the electoral battle from now. We have much work ahead and time is limited," he said.

“The activists and leadership have agnipariksha (trial by fire) before them.” The conclave is the first one after the spectacular performances in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.