New Delhi:

A day after the Bihar unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party passed a resolution demanding the party's Central Parliamentary Board to announce Narendra Modi as the prime minister candidate without delay, BJP President Rajnath Singh on Sunday passed a virtual gag order on state units not to pass such resolutions. Singh announced that a decision on the issue will be taken after consulting all top party leaders.

He passed the strictures at a meeting of the Modi-headed BJP Election Campaign Committee, state unit presidents and organisation general secretaries in New Delhi. Modi was also present in the meeting.

Singh also reprimanded the Bihar unit office bearers, including Leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Parishad Sushil Modi, for passing the resolution. The BJP chief said he is aware of his responsibilities and knows what decisions he needs to take and when to take them, party sources said.

Other state units were specifically asked by Singh not to pass such resolutions. Party sources said the top leadership is worried that state units might start naming their own preferences for the prime minister nominee.

The standard official line of the BJP has been that the decision on whether to declare a PM candidate, or whether it should be done before the Lok Sabha elections, as well as who should be the candidate, will be taken by the Central Parliamentary Board at the appropriate time.

Though there is an overwhelming demanding across the party cadre in favour of declaring Modi the PM candidate, some leaders are reportedly opposed to the idea.

BJP Parliamentary Party Chief LK Advani and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, among others, are said to be against declaring Modi's name.

While most party leaders feel Advani and Swaraj are opposed to Modi as they fancy their own chances of becoming PM, their argument - according to party sources - is that due to his 'Hindutva' hardliner image he will scare away prospective allies.

The Janata Dal United, which was a part of the NDA for 17 years, quit the alliance when Modi was made BJP's Election Campaign Committee chief. Shiv Sena is also opposed to Modi - mainly due to his proximity with MNS chief Raj Thackeray - and has said Swaraj would be a better candidate.

Advani had earlier resigned from all party posts in protest against Modi's elevation as Election Campaign Committee Chief and took it back only after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat intervened. Singh is reportedly making all efforts to build a consensus on Modi's candidature.

source:http://ibnlive.in.com