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.
Delhi government presents Rs 69,000 crore 'patriotic budget' for FY 2021-22
Delhi Budget 2021-22: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of Delhi on Tuesday presented a propos
Strong earthquake tremors have been felt on Thursday in the Kermadec Islands, located in the nort
Some time ago, it was reported that there was some rift between Govinda and his wife, and he was
Franchise cinema means making several films one after the other with the same name. Which franchi
Indian team's fast bowler Akash Deep performed brilliantly in the second Test match against Engla
India to Launch Fourth Navigation Satellite March 9
Chennai, March 2 (IANS) India will move closer to its own
BJP approaches poll panel against Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) The BJP Saturday asked the Election Commission to file a complaint agai
Accusing Haryana of not giving Delhi its share of water, Delhi's Water Minister Atishi started an
Man held for Attempting to Bury Daughter Alive
Agartala, Jan 17 (IANS) Police have arrested a man on the charges of attempting to bury his nin
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Sunday, December 21, during an even
