As senior BJP leader L.K. Advani chose to skip the National Executive meet in Goa, a group of Narendra Modi supporters on Saturday staged a protest outside the residence of the party veteran for “opposing” greater role for the Gujarat Chief Minister.
A handful of protesters holding a banner ‘Narendra Modi’s Army’ shouted pro-Modi slogans outside Mr. Advani’s 30-Prithviraj Road this afternoon.
Holding placards like ‘Narendra Modi Zindabad’ and ‘Bring Modi as Prime Minister’, the protesters demanded that Mr. Advani should step aside and allow Mr. Modi to assume a greater role.
“We have come here because we want Mr. Advani to step aside and let Mr. Modi come forward. Mr. Advani should have announced Mr. Modi’s candidature for Prime Ministership in Goa but he did not do that,” one of the protesters said.
Another protester said, “Our main demand is that Mr. Modi should be declared as the Prime Ministerial candidate. That’s why we are protesting here.”
The 85-year-old Mr. Advani chose to stay away from the Goa meet, perhaps for the first time in the party’s history, apparently to express his opposition to making Mr. Modi the campaign committee chief, which will in effect present him as the face of the party for the next general elections.
