New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) publicly defended Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his absence in the national executive meet here, a party source said some senior leaders were not happy with his decision.


As the national meet entered its second day Saturday, the source said several senior leaders were unhappy with Modi's decision which had left the party embarrassed.

Party leaders were seen grappling for excuses to explain the leader's absence Friday. Senior leaders like Sushma Swaraj and M. Venkaiyah Naidu refused to comment while the official explanation later given was that Modi was observing Navratra fast.

According to sources, Modi skipped the meet after being upset over Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar being chosen to flag-off L.K. Advani's anti-corruption 'yatra'. The 'yatra' is the main issue for discussion during this meet.

The controversial Gujarat leader was recently pitched as a likely contender for the prime minister's post by a US Congressional report for the 2014 general elections.

The two-day national executive meet started in the national capital Friday. While Advani's 'yatra' remains the main focus, other issues include land-transfer agreement between India and Bangladesh, and upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.