NEW DELHI: As senior BJP leader L K Advani chose to skip the national executive meet in Goa, a group of people claiming to be Narendra Modi supporters on Saturday staged a protest outside the residence of the party veteran for "opposing" greater role for the Gujarat chief minister.

A handful of protesters holding a banner "Narendra Modi's Army" shouted pro-Modi slogans outside Advani's residence this afternoon.

Holding placards like 'Narendra Modi Zindabad' and 'Bring Modi as Prime Minister', the protesters demanded that Advani should step aside and allow Modi to assume a greater role.

"We have come here because we want Advani to step aside and let Modi come forward. Advani should have announced Modi's candidature for prime ministership in Goa but he did not do that," one of the protesters said.

Another protester said, "Our main demand is that Modi should be declared as the prime ministerial candidate. That's why we are protesting here."

85-year-old Advani on Saturday skipped the BJP national executive, perhaps for the first time in the party's history, apparently to express his opposition to making Modi the campaign committee chief, which will in effect present him as the face of the party for the next general elections.

Advani cited ill health as the reason for his staying away from the two-day conclave beginning today, party sources said.

However, the sources said the party is keen to make the announcement about Modi at the national executive and the RSS has given its go-ahead to it.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders tried to playdown Advani's absence at the national executive meet.

Party general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy said he had enquired about Advani's health and he is actually unwell. Insisting that not much should be read into this issue, he said Advani would have loved to be present at the conclave.

BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said Advani is indisposed and hence, he has not been able to attend the meeting.

National executive member Nalin Kohli said BJP is different from the Congress and does not have camps. He said BJP is deliberating upon the plans to replace the UPA government in the next elections as people are fed up of the corruption, scams and lack of governance in the Congress-led regime.

Apparently to show opposition, leaders like Uma Bharti , Jaswant Singh , Yashwant Sinha , Shatrughan Sinha and Yogi Adityananth, also considered close to Advani, are also not attending the meeting.

(With inputs from PTI)