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Did Modi project Advani’s civility as his blessings?
Did BJP patriarch LK Advani really give Gujarat CM Narendra Modi his blessings on Sunday as the latter claimed after being appointed chief of the party’s national campaign panel for the LS elections? Mahesh Langa reports. Modi urges Advani to change decision
Did BJP patriarch LK Advani really give Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi his blessings on Sunday as the latter claimed after being appointed chairman of the party’s national campaign committee for the general elections?
Modi had tweeted: “Spoke to Advani ji on the phone. He gave me his blessings. Honoured and extremely grateful to receive his blessings.”
However, it transpired on Monday, when the party’s founder-leader resigned from various positions of the party, that Advani’s response was indifferent and brief: “Ok, achhi baat hai! (Ok, it’s all right)”
A source close to Advani said: “What will you say when someone calls you seeking blessings?”
“There was hardly any conversation and the call must have ended in less than a minute,” said a BJP MP close to Advani, adding, “Modi, true to his style, projected it as if Advaniji was happy with his appointment and had blessed him for the post”.
The issue came up in debates on news channel and social networking platform Twitter and many commentators doubted Modi’s statement.
A news anchor said Advani’s family members had denied there was any such conversation.
