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.
Spiritual guru Mahant Swami Maharaj of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha arrived in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday
OnePlus 8T will be launched in India on October 14, this phone will be a direct competition
The date to launch OnePlus 8T in India has been kept on 14 October. The Chinese company gave this
Philosophy of inclusive Hinduism in the foundation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone and land worship of the proposed Ram t
Nasa Alert: Asteroid moving towards Earth faster than a hypersonic missile, NASA alerted
Nasa Alert NASA has issued an alert to the people on New Year. NASA, which gives new information
The government has approved a fund of Rs 30 crore for the purchase of surveillance cameras, drone
Why is Sushil Kumar looking for the case of killing a wrestler?
"We have lost everything, nothing is left, we had high hopes from him. At such a young age, my ne
Modi government's 'digital strike' on fake news, 8 YouTube channels blocked
Fake news has become the biggest challenge for the government in this era of social media. The Mi
265,840 cases pending in Himachal courts
Shimla, March 16 (IANS) Justice is still a distant cry in Himachal Pradesh, as 265,840 cases are
18-year-old D Gukesh needs no introduction now. He has etched his name in history by winning the
Punish Rajapaksa for war crimes: Tamil Nadu parties
Chennai, Jan 9 (IANS) The MDMK and the PMK said Friday that outgoing Sri Lankan president Mahind
