Ahmedabad/ New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has the qualities to become Prime Minister, two senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders said on Friday.

Senior party leader Arun Shourie and BJP national spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad backed Modi for the country’s most powerful political post but were cautious in their statements.

Shourie told reporters in Ahmedabad Gujarat had the opportunity to elect two prime ministers: L K Advani now and Modi later.

''Gujarat can elect Advani as Prime Minister after the current Lok Sabha elections and Modi as the next PM,” UNI quoted Shourie as saying.

“Gujarat has a chance to utilise triple opportunities: first to elect Advani as Prime Minister now. Second, to create a situation where Prime Minister is from Gujarat and Chief Minister belonging to the same party ruled the State and third, to elect next Prime Minister (Mr Modi) also from Gujarat,” he said.

Shourie clarified that ''projecting Modi as the next Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP was his personal idea, not of the party.''

''The party and nation definitely see Modi as a national leader because he has already achieved for Gujarat broadband connectivity, infrastructure and employment, which are only promised by other political parties only in their manifestoes for the next five years,'' said Shourie.

In New Delhi, Prasad said Modi could become the Deputy Prime Minister in a BJP government. “Modi has all the qualities to become Prime Minister. The BJP doesn’t have dynastic politics. It will be for the Prime Minister to decide who will be the deputy PM,” said Prasad at a press conference.