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.
After the Pahalgam terrorist attack, tensions between India and Pakistan are constantly increasin
Navy Mulling Proposal to Allow Women on Warships
New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) Women officers may soon be aboard the Indian Navy's warships as it is
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Indian Foreign Minister S. During the meeting wit
The Kerala High Court on Thursday asked the central government whether it is not the duty of the
In Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has made a new move to save his chair. Imran Khan has give
Presidential candidate and former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha lost the presidential election fr
Even today, there has been no increase in the prices of petrol and diesel by the oil companies. I
The interest rates that have been rising continuously for 3 months have become even more. Now it
The wait of more than 16 lakh students of the state is over for the announcement of the results o
Salman Khan met Mumbai Police Commissioner, applied for an arms license
Bollywood actor Salman Khan is often in news for different reasons. Sometimes Salman Khan makes h
