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.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has intensified and with this, the price of crude
Adipurush Prabhas Fees: Fans of Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan's film 'Adipurush' are waiting for the
PM Narendra Modi has said that in this era of global instability, India has established itself as
SRK's Special Message to Indian Cricket Team
Mumbai, Feb 15 (IANS) As Indian cricket team is taking on one of its biggest rivals - Pakistan
Holder has skills to lead Windies: Richard Hadlee
Wellington, March 20 (IANS) Fast bowling great Richard Hadlee has given Jason Holder a ringing
The decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board on Wednesday to host India's T20 Wo
Not only the border, but China is also a big challenge in front of India on the trade front.
In the year 2020, after the skirmish of the Indian Army with the Chinese forces in the Galvan Val
A major helicopter accident was averted on Friday during the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage. A heli
The world is already going through a period of tension. Now such news has come out, which has fur
There was a traffic jam in Gurugram due to the closure of the entry of heavy vehicles in Delhi fr
