New Delhi, April 2
BJP’s “Sankalp Patra” - party manifesto that looks to target middle class, youth and high growth rate - is said to be ready, or so the party leaders claim. With just five days to go for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections - on April 7 - there is still no clarity on when the saffron party intends releasing the document.

“We will let you know 24 hours in advance,” said a senior leader in response to the confusion on the manifesto’s release. It is believed that the much-awaited document may be made public on April 3 to coincide with Modi’s tour of the National Capital Region tomorrow.

The only hindrance is getting top leaders - Rajnath Singh, Narendra Modi, LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Murli Manohar Joshi and Arun Jaitley - together in Delhi at the same time, said the leader. “All leaders are busy with their election schedules,” he says. Sources say though the entire galaxy of senior leaders is expected to be present on the day of the release, there is no clarity on who will release the document. And if even one of them decides to stay away, the focus will shift on the absentee rather than the document. The senior leadership is finding ways to ensure that no further controversy hits the party on the eve of the elections, say sources.

One point of view is that since Joshi headed the committee that prepared the document, it should be released by him. But the problem is Modi, whose imprint the document bears, apparently wants some changes. The Congress, which unveiled its manifesto last week, has claimed that the delay in the release of the BJP manifesto is because its document resembled the grand old party’s manifesto.

“They are making changes to avoid charges of duplicating the Congress manifesto,” a source said.

The party may also be looking at a window on April 6, the day it celebrates “Vijay Sankalp Diwas” as foundation day, for the release.

While the BJP is making efforts to release the document before the first phase, it is also looking at the possibility of releasing it after the first two phases, a source added.

Ahead of the manifesto, the party was supposed to announce its “charge-sheet” - a document enumerating Congress-led government’s “unfulfilled promises and acts of omission and commission such as corruption, price rise, internal and external security matters and the country’s failing economy”. BJP leader Peeyush Goyal, who yesterday promised cheaper education loan if his party comes to power, said the election manifesto would be out soon.

On why the party had yet not released the document, he said it would be an interesting and exciting document, not like the one released by the Congress that had “nothing to offer”.