L K Advani sought to deflate the hype around Narendra Modi Saturday, marking him lower than Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on performance, and comparing the latter with Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Advani was reported to have told a BJP workers' conclave in Gwalior that while Modi  repeatedly hailed by his followers as the "most popular" leader of the party  had improved the situation in an "economically healthy state", the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had actually turned around states that were very poor.

"I tell Narendrabhai Modi that Gujarat was healthy earlier also. You have made it the best and you deserve congratulations for that. But what Chouhan and the Chhattisgarh chief minister did was wonderful," Advani said.

Madhya Pradesh, formerly a BIMARU state, had now come to be recognised as a model of development, he said.

Advani's praise of Chouhan over achievements that Modi has always claimed for himself appeared to be an attempt to put both chief ministers on an equal footing ahead of the BJP's national executive in Goa, where Modi's supporters are likely to make a fresh bid to have him projected as the candidate for prime minister.

Advani compared Chouhan's development record and interpersonal skills with those of Vajpayee, the BJP's gold standard. "Atal Bihari Vajpayee implemented several developmental schemes including road network but he always remained very humble and was far away from arrogance. Similarly, Chouhan has also formulated a large number of development and welfare schemes like Ladli Laxmi scheme and Mukhya Mantri Teerth Darshan Yojana and implemented them successfully. Despite so many achievements, Chouhan never had any ego. I found Chouhan very humble, like Vajpayee."

A section in the BJP has always disapproved of Modi's alleged "arrogance".

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