New Delhi, August 30
After two weeks of uncertainty which saw the bickering in the BJP reach its crescendo, there was a strategic pause in all the action surrounding the party on Sunday. Apparently, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has told the party leaders to stay united ahead of Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana and roll out “succession plan” only after the polls. The BJP-Shiv Sena combine is likely to announce candidates for Maharashtra polls on Monday. With elections round the corner, the BJP, said sources, is again trying to project itself as the main national Opposition party, ready to take on the ruling party and the government on issues concerning people.
Earlier in the day, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, accompanied by another Sangh leader Madandas Devi, met senior-most BJP leader LK Advani at his residence. “We have been given an assurance that the BJP leaders will discuss and resolve problems and we believe that,” Devi said after the breakfast meeting, adding that it was not unusual for political parties to face crisis.
Devi said the RSS chief had made it clear that the BJP would take its own decisions and decide its own future.
While the BJP flaunted an official statement issued by Devi as a kind of a certificate, political observers termed events of the day as an interval before the next act of the drama. Sources say BJP’s succession plan is almost ready and Advani may step down as Leader of Opposition before the next Parliamentary session. Bhagwat, they say, wants an “honourable exit” and some kind of advisory role for Advani. Sources said Bhagwat was reportedly not in favour of some high-profile names, that cropped up from the Advani camp, as successor to Rajnath Singh. The RSS chief is believed to be in favour of someone who is acceptable to all sections of the party.
BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar, however, refuted reports of an impending change in the party leadership. He said there would be “no change in leadership in Lok Sabha” and Advani would continue as Leader of the Opposition till the time he wanted to. He also said Advani would speak on the Kandahar issue in due course of time. However, Rajnath Singh would not get another term, he said.
Rajnath’s term as BJP president is ending by December. Advani’s meeting with Bhagwat is supposed to have sorted out issue of his successor, who is likely to take over along with the new president of the party. In a bid to resolve the turmoil within the BJP, sources say, RSS had proposed a high-powered advisory committee to look into the party affairs.
The BJP is a state of disarray after its poor show in the Lok Sabha elections. The crisis worsened when veteran leader Jaswant Singh was expelled from the party over his controversial book on Jinnah. Singh and senior party leaders Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha besides former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra have cornered Advani on Kandahar hijacking.
Meanwhile, BJP president Rajnath Singh wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asking him tackle drought and price rise issues and resolve “the deepening crisis through a dynamic and long term action plan”.
Rajnath Singh’s letter comes close to the PM’s recent statement in which he said: “The situation in the BJP is not good.” BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar also advised the PM to stop worrying about the BJP and instead tackle drought and price rise crisis in the country.
