Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Saturday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party to declare Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate at the earliest to ensure a majority in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
"Had I been in the BJP's place, I would have immediately declared Modi as my party's prime ministerial candidate, to maximise gains in the next general elections," Swamy told reporters.
"I will be pleased to no end if the BJP heeds the public mood and declares the Gujarat chief minister as its prime ministerial candidate at the earliest," Swamy said.
At the same time, it was for the BJP leadership to take a call on the issue of its prime ministerial candidate, the Janata Party president said when asked whether he would press BJP leaders for Modi's early anointment as the PM candidate.
Asked about reactions to a recent survey which predicted the BJP's emergence as the single largest party in the next general elections, he said that he was sure that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance would get a majority on its own.
On the contaminated mid-day meal which claimed the lives of 23 children, Swamy said it was a national shame.
The Janata Party president demanded an investigation into the matter either by the National Investigation Agency or the Central Bureau of Investigation.
He said that there was a provision in the Inquiry Act to rope in central agencies to investigate or give assistance in state-specific incidents.
Swamy criticised the Nitish Kumar government for returning Rs 400 crore last year under the mid-day meal scheme and said that the funds could have been used to create better infrastructure.
