New Delhi, May 19
There is no plan to replace BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu in the wake of poor showing by the party in the just-concluded Lok Sabha poll even as there was murmur from some quarters that the Central leadership should own responsibility for the debacle.
It is learnt that Mr Naidu had offered to step down as party President, which was rejected by the two top leaders, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Mr L.K. Advani.
Mr Naidu’s offer to quit was turned down by Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani as they felt it would be an “immature and knee-jerk reaction” which could affect the party organisation and demoralise the cadre, informed party sources told The Tribune here today.
The top two leaders had impressed upon him that it was a collective failure of the party and not of an individual, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the sources said Mr Naidu, who has to constitute his new team, would wait till the formation of the new government and also decision on the Leader of the Opposition by the BJP Parliamentary Party.
