I am not anti-Modi, says Yashwant Sinha

BJP leader Yashwant Sinha Sunday slammed reports that he was "anti-Modi" and said that he was the first in the party to speak for the Gujarat chief minister.

"In the last three days I have been shown as anti-Modi and pro-Advani...fact is I have spoken to none of them. I was one of the first in the BJP to speak for Modi," Sinha told reporters here following the appointment of Narendra Modi as the party's campaign chief for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The announcement on Modi's new responsibility was made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh at the end of the party's national executive committee in Goa, which saw wrangling between a section backed by party patriarch L.K. Advani, who was opposing Modi's ascent, and another group backing Modi's candidature.

Advani, Sinha and some other senior leaders skipped the conclave. While Advani cited "ill-health", Sinha said he had "personal reasons" for not attending the meet and was "entitled to my privacy".

Just day a before the conclave began, Sinha ridiculed reports suggesting the appointment of Modi as in charge of the BJP's 2014 poll campaign.

Sinha also condemned protests by Modi's supporters Saturday outside Advani's house in New Delhi, demanding that the 85-year-old leader should allow Modi to assume a bigger role in the party.