Narendra Modi says he is married in affidavit?

The news of Narendra Modi being married has put the social media into frenzy since this morning.

All the people who all this while thought that he was a bachelor are shocked. He has acknowledged being married to Jashodeben in the affidavit he has submitted while submitting his nomination papers from Vadodra, yesterday.

The massive road show and the fan fare have vanished from the public memory and his marital status is the most trending topic today.

His supposed wife is a retired school teacher in Brahmanwada, a village about 35km from Modi's hometown, Vadnagar. The question that all are asking- Why did he hide her identity all these years ? Why the disclosure now? Some legal experts are also suggesting that EC should nullify his affidavit of 2012 Assembly Elections.

It was just a month back that Modi had made such a fuss about his single status and said his lack of family ties gives him the freedom of mind to take on corruption.

"Mere liye na koi aagey, na peechhey. Kiske liye bhrashtachaar karunga? (I've no famiyl ties. Who would I ever try to benefit through corruption?). " Maybe he said too soon !

Some of the reactions both for and against are-

Abhijit Majumder ‏@abhijitmajumder-Remarkable hypocrisy. Those who wanted Sonia's med reports are fine with Modi's silence & Sonia privacy champions shed tears for Modi's wife.

Angry Bombay Girl ‏@shadymumbai- Dear Narendra Modi..did it take you 45 years to remember you were married and had a wife ? –

Mahesh Murthy ‏@maheshmurthy- After 20 years, Modi just remembered he had a wife. Guess how long it'll take him to remember that we all exist?:-)

Priyanka Chaturvedi ‏@priyankac19- Modi's marital status makes the Madhuri stalking episode even more sordid. A man who has dumped his wife stalking a girl. Shameful

digvijaya singh ‏@digvijaya_28-Modi accepts his Marital Status. Can Women of this Country trust a Man who stalks a woman, deprives his wife of her right? Vote against Modi

Danish Aslam ‏@dan1shaslam- So how exactly did Modi from being single to married? Or is this another Q we’re not allowed to ask?

rupa subramanya @rupasubramanya- For the Congresswallahs on my tl, if Modi's marriage at 17/18 is your main issue, you might as well call it a day. Sad.

Expecting a public outcry, his brother Sombhai Modi was ready with a press statement today stating the reasons for marriage and its subsequent collapse. He defended his brother by saying that Modi was married forcefully by his parents in teenage, in accordance with the old custom of fixing marriage in childhood. However, he categorically stated that the marriage was never consummated. Modi was supposed to have walked out of the arrangement soon after the solemnization.

Sombhai stated that a youthful Modi had a bent towards serving his country since he was young and was always in awe of the teachings of Swami Vivekanad. When the time came to decide he chose his country over his personal ties. He urged the people to not let the marriage over power his agenda for the country and let it be in the background.

There have been many instances in the past when Modi has flaunted his single status publicly and had conveniently left the ‘spouse’ status blank. The disclosure in these selections is probably in reflection of a lesson learnt in the 2012 elections, when the Congress had gone berserk running a daub campaign against him. The confession this year is a safeguard against any such campaign and prevention of any objection from the EC.

It should be noted that when the story first came to light in 1992 in a Guajarati weekly, the family of Jashodaben and she have refused to comment on it and have asked for privacy as it is a family matter. However, they have always wished him luck for all his endeavors.