

BHOPAL: Two days after veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani bolstered him to a position higher than Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi at a party workers' meeting in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tried to tone down the controversy over party's prime ministerial candidate by giving himself a low profile.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, chief minister Chouhan argued that while Narendra Modi was "first" among BJP chief ministers, he himself was only number three in hierarchy and seniority. He said,"Narendra Modi is my elder brother and he is number one. Then comes the position of Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh and I am the number three among the party’s CMs."

Immediately after Chouhan launched the 'Annapurna Yojana', a food security scheme to distribute wheat at Re 1 per kg and rice at Rs 2 per kg for BPL(below poverty line) families in the state capital on Monday, he was approached by the media for a comment on former deputy Prime Minister LK Advani’s claim that Chouhan had given a turn-around development story to erstwhile 'bimaru’ Madhya Pradesh whereas Modi had improved on an already healthy Gujarat state.

Wanting to play down the controversy, Chouhan said,"I wish to explain that Lal Kishna Advani is our most revered leader, our guide and mentor. But what he said should not be misinterpreted. In his speech, he first praised Narendra Modi for his work in Gujarat. He also praised Raman Singh for his government’s accomplishment in Chhattisgarh and Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar for his work. Thus, he also praised the work done by the Madhya Pradesh government ."

Chouhan defended that the praise was not for any "individual" but a general praise for all BJP chief ministers and their methods of governance.