BJP stands by Modi

"There is no proposal to change the leadership of Gujarat at this juncture," Venkaiah Naidu, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), told reporters after a meeting of top party leaders in New Delhi.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had come under fresh scrutiny after police said they gunned down four Muslims, including a 19-year-old woman, last Tuesday because they allegedly plotted to assassinate the state leader.

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India's ruling Congress party has suggested that the shootout was a set-up to build sympathy for Modi and demanded an impartial probe.

Former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, breaking with his party's longstanding backing of Modi, said last week that a BJP national meeting set to start Tuesday in Bombay would consider replacing the Gujarat leader.