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.
Gaurav Khanna is one of the strongest contestants on Bigg Boss Season 19. He outperformed everyon
On the strength of Harry Brook and Joe Root's centuries, England has brought their team closer to
Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer will be out of action for approximately two months. He suffered a s
ISIS terrorist arrested from Azamgarh: used to brainwash Muslim youth, RSS members were the target
There have been many revelations about terrorist Sabauddin Azmi arrested from Azamgarh district o
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2023 on 1 February. Rs 2.40
Mamata refuses responsibility over Shibaji Panja's arrest
Kolkata, Feb 22 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday shirked off any respon
Centre calls for studies on cell phones health hazards
New Delhi, March 29 (IANS) In the backdrop of the recently concluded spectrum auctions, the sci
Srinagar-Jammu highway stays closed for third day
Srinagar, March 17 (IANS) The strategic Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed for the
Vicky Kaushal became an actor from an engineer, read some unheard things on his birthday
New Delhi: Vicky Kaushal, who impressed everyone with his acting in Bollywood, is celebrating his
Actor Vijay Deverakonda was traveling from Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, to Hyderabad, Telangana,