The fight is between BJP and Modi: Congress

Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of buckling under the pressure exerted by Narendra Modi by including him in the party’s top decision-making Parliamentary Board, and said the Gujarat chief minister will someday pose a challenge to his own party.

"The real challenge is Modi's challenge to the BJP. It is Modi who is seeking to take over the party and once Modi takes over the party there will be no BJP, because Modi's brand of politics has nothing to do with ideology," Sibal said.

He said, "This is a big challenge to the BJP and not to anyone else. The fight is between BJP and Modi. Under pressure, they have included him. Time will tell whether BJP will have a say or Modi (will have a say)."

Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said, "The new team's first test will be the upcoming Karnataka assembly polls."

On the inclusion of Modi's confidant Amit Shah as the BJP’s general secretary, Sibal questioned the Opposition party's claim of morality, as it had appointed someone facing serious charges against him in court. He said this will lead the party to destruction.

"To make someone, who is facing serious charges, the general secretary will lead the BJP towards destruction. How will they make people understand that they preach morality but what they do is just the opposite," Sibal said.

The minister said Shah has been accused of very serious charges and is undergoing trial.

"This shows the character of a party which talks about morality and yet appoints a general secretary who is undergoing a trial and facing very serious charges," he said.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the Gujarat chief minister had been included in the party's Parliamentary Board earlier also, and has now been included again due to his burgeoning popularity.

"Narendra Modi is the senior-most chief minister of the BJP and has achieved top success in his state. He is the most popular leader in BJP. He has become an icon of a non-corrupt, good government," Javadekar said.