BJP downplays rift within party

After major fissures emerged within the BJP ranks over senior leader LK Advani's preference to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over Narendra Modi in the race for BJP's Prime Ministerial face in next Lok Sabha elections, the BJP on Monday (June 3) downplayed the rift within the party. Refusing any division BJP leader Captain Abhimanyu Sindhu said that Advani has not undermined anyone. On Saturday (June 1), Advani said that Gujarat was already a "healthy" state and Modi transformed it into an "excellent" state but what Chouhan and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh did was to successfully turn around a BIMARU state into developed states. He compared Chouhan with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He also said that Chouhan never had any ego and is very humble like Vajpayee.