New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) A galaxy of BJP bigwigs came together to release its much delayed manifesto Monday, but an iciness between prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and manifesto committee chief Murli Manohar Joshi was evident.
The apparent differences that caused delay in release the of the manifesto - happening on the first day of Lok Sabha poll - were sought to be glossed over with presentation of a united face in public and before cameras.
Party insiders said the delay in the manifesto release was due to "differences between Modi and Joshi". Modi wanted some changes in the document, which Joshi was not happy with, those privy to inner-party affairs said on condition of anonymity.
The BJP officially dubbed the delay as a "logistic issue", saying leaders were busy campaigning.
Modi, who sat at the centre of the stage, was flanked on either side by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh and Joshi. While he engaged in conversation with Rajnath Singh several times, no words were exchanged with Joshi. Neither did Modi try and supplement whatever Joshi was saying.
Both Rajnath Singh and Modi appeared uninterested and were seen chatting and flipping pages of the manifesto booklet as Joshi made his presentation on the key promises and answered most of journalists' queries.
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj and veteran leader L.K. Advani were also seen sitting quietly on the flanks.
However, when it came to words, the leaders said all the right things.
Joshi referred to Modi as the "future prime minister", Advani repeated time and again that he was "very happy" with these elections, while Modi chose to focus on the manifesto alone.
While the tension between leaders prevailed, it was decided by the party to give prominence to Joshi, in an apparent attempt to pacify the elder who felt sidelined by Modi. Joshi took the few questions asked by journalists, and stayed back after the official release function was over to answer more.
The only time when the BJP prime ministerial candidate was seen exchanging a word with Joshi was a brief moment before leaving the stage, an apparent good bye.
The BJP, anticipating a large crowd, organised the release not at its national headquarters, but in the premises of the adjoining 9, Ashoka Road, official bungalow of senor leader Arun Jaitley, who was out campaigning in Amritsar where he filed his nomination papers. Also missing were former party presidents Nitin Gadkari and M Venkaiah Naidu.
Modi, whose voice was already hoarse addressing election rallies, left soon after the event was over for his public meetings scheduled for the day.
Rahul Gandhi to skip budget session, takes leave of absence
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Ahead of the crucial budget session, Congress vice president Rahul Gan
Corona: Trump returns from hospital saying 'no need to fear'
US President Donald Trump has been discharged from the Walter Reed Military Hospital where he was
No Modi wave, only Modi poison, says Jairam Ramesh
Ranchi, April 20 (IANS) There is no Modi wave but only "Modi poison" in India, said union minist
A major statement by Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawala has come to light on the slowing
The official website BookMyShow crashed on Wednesday as soon as tickets for the India-Pakistan T2
Modi's hectic day one in office
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first day in office began on a hectic note Tuesday as he h
Terror Funding: SIA raids Bathindi in terror funding case, suspected to be linked to Jamaat-e-Islami
The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday conducted raids in Bathind
Sri Lanka plot perfect swansong for veterans (World Cup team profile)
Christchurch, Feb 9 (IANS) Neither heavyweights nor makew
new Delhi. The number of coronavirus infections has increased to 1 thousand 716. On Wednesday, 20
Banerjee calls for withdrawal of 'draconian' land ordinance
Kolkata, Feb 24 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday said her party Trinam
