Bangalore, April 2: The BJP does not appear overly worked up over L.K. Advani's latest pique, albeit one that has surfaced after a long break.

Advani reportedly shrugged off a request to address the BJP national executive that began here today with a meeting of the central office-bearers at the Lalit Ashok hotel.

Last week, when Ramlal, the BJP's general secretary (organisation), called on Advani and asked him to address the executive, the veteran reportedly said he had nothing to say and, therefore, would not speak.

Party sources said Advani's refusal indicated his unhappiness over his steady marginalisation in the BJP by the new dispensation headed by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

The sources claimed that for Advani, the "last straw" was being pensioned off to the marg darshak mandal (advisory committee) along with Murli Manohar Joshi last September when Shah, the BJP president, reconstituted his team.

The mandal was envisaged as an entity that would "guide" the BJP but it did not meet even once. To rub in the sense of being unwanted, Advani reportedly told Ramlal that the February Delhi election was also the first poll in which he didn't address a single public meeting.

At a news conference here today, spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain was asked if Advani would speak. Hussain said: "This is a national executive meet that will discuss people's issues. Senior leaders are slated to address these issues. Our marg darshak mandal leaders will also give their marg darshan (guidance). We all evolved under their guidance when we were young."

Hussain said Narendra Modi would deliver the valedictory address on Saturday. In the last two meetings, the drill was that Modi gave the concluding speech but Advani always intervened at length.

The veteran has never skipped a party convention since it was founded in 1980 by him and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, except one in June 2013 at Panaji where Modi was elevated as the head of the campaign committee for the 2014 elections.

This time, Hussain's reply suggested the leaders may not go out of their way to plead with Advani to address the gathering.

Modi will call an "informal" meeting of the parliamentary board members to vet the resolutions as well as the issues to be taken up in the sessions and ensure the party line is in complete consonance with the government's.

On Friday, after Shah's opening speech, the executive will discuss a resolution on foreign affairs.

A presentation on the Land Acquisition Bill is part of the agenda too.

Among the points the BJP is expected to highlight is a question that if the Trinamul Congress, Janata Dal (United) and the Samajwadi Party voted for the UPA's 2013 law and considered it workable, why did they not set up the mechanisms to implement the law in the states ruled by them.

The BJP will also ask why the chief ministers of the Congress-ruled states, some erstwhile and some existing, had raised questions about the UPA's law.