‘NaMonia’ not the reason for skipping meet: Yashwant

BJP leader Yashwant Sinha on Saturday said he had chosen to stay away from the party’s National Executive meeting in Goa not because of ‘NaMonia’, an oblique reference to aversion to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

“I don’t have ‘NaMonia’ I am in perfect health. But there could be other reasons for not going to Goa because of which I have not gone there,” Mr. Sinha told reporters.

’NaMonia’ has emerged as a euphemism to refer to a group of BJP leaders, including senior party leaders L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh, who have reported sick and skipped the party’s national executive meeting which began in Goa on Saturday.

Mr. Sinha had earlier supported Mr. Modi, who is being talked about being projected as the head of the BJP campaign committee for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The former Union Minister was also quoted as saying some day’s back that Mr. Modi was unlikely to be appointed as in-charge of the BJP’s campaign for the general elections.

Earlier, commenting on the leadership issue Mr. Sinha had said that Mr. Advani was in a “different league”.

Besides Mr. Advani, others who have skipped the Goa meeting include Ms. Uma Bharti, Mr. Yogi Adityanath and Mr. Shatrughan Sinha.