Modi-Joshi poster war intensifies

The pamphlets were circulated by people wearing Sanjay Joshi's mask near Swaminarayan temple area, about 200 metres from the state executive meeting venue, days after Joshi was forced to quit the party by the BJP top brass at the behest of Modi.

The pamphlets said: "I am Sanjay Joshi, I am RSS volunteer, I do not sell grazing land to the industrialists, I do not do massacre for political power, I do not cheat party's line of thinking for becoming Prime Minister, I do not treat party workers as labour".

The pamphlets did not name Modi, whose tenure as the chief minister of Gujarat has been marred by allegations of mishandling the 2002 post-Godhra communal riots.

Joshi had left the party on Friday last reportedly citing "pressure being exerted on party leadership by Modi".

Earlier, some pro-Sanjay Joshi posters and others apparently targeting Narendra Modi appeared in various parts of Rajkot city. This was the third time after Joshi's unceremonious exit from the BJP's National Executive that posters appeared in Gujarat.

The posters near the venue of of the meeting said "Sanjay Joshi aage badho, hum tumhare saath hai" (Sanjay Joshi go ahead, we are with you).

A few other posters targeting Modi also appeared in the city today which read "Follow Raj dharma, and party dharma".

The posters apparently referred to former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's advice to Modi to follow 'Raj dharma' after the 2002 riots.

However. BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain the ruled out any rift in the party and said itsfocus at the moment is on 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"Everything is alright in Bharatiya Janata Party. We are preparing 2014 Lok Sabha elections. It can be held either in the end of 2012 or in March 2013. Our aim is to defeat the UPA government," he said.