No rift in NDA over PM candidate, says BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday said there is no rift among National Democratic Alliance partners on the issue of prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections and the matter will decided collectively within the alliance.

"There are no issues or differences in BJP... There is no question of any internal rift in NDA or BJP. Before the elections, BJP and NDA will decide under whose leadership we will fight the elections," BJP's national vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told mediapersons in Agra.

Naqvi was replying to a question on the sidelines of the party's 'Chintan Baithak' (brainstorming session) in Agra on reports of growing rift within NDA over the issue of prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 general elections.

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar had earlier expressed reservation over the candidature of his Gujarat counterpart and BJP leader Narendra Modi for the top post.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari had said on Friday that he had discussed the issue of NDA's prime ministerial candidate with Kumar and assured him that no decision has yet been taken on Modi being the party's choice for it.

Naqvi said, "In 2014 NDA will form its government and root out the corrupt Congress-led UPA government from power."