New Delhi, September 9
The RSS has sent out a very strong and cryptic signal to LK Advani and his quartet coterie in the BJP by keeping them out of the two-day brainstorming session with chosen “intellectuals” many of them from Advani camp which began in Mumbai today.
The exercise, according to sources, is aimed at putting into proper perspective issues related to BJP’s relations with the Sangh, its ideology and its future shape. The occasion may also witness on the sidelines some discussion on the next BJP president and in this context Manohar Parikar’s name was mentioned by Sangh/BJP insiders.
The invitees include Advani’s think tank members Swapan Dasgupta and Chandan Mitra. Also invited is Arun Shourie, a bitter critic of the Advani camp, as well as Kanchan Gupta. And for some strange reason former BJP MP from Barmer Manvendra Singh, the son of expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh, has also received the invitation. But while the entire top brass of the Sangh may be there, from the BJP only a handful of leaders have received the entry permit and these include Rajnath himself, party vice-president Bal Apte and former BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi.
On the other hand Advani, Arun Jaitely, Sushma Swaraj, M Venkaiah Naidu and Ananth Kumar were shown no entry signs.
Meanwhile, BJP insiders are skeptical about the prospects of Parikar succeeding Rajnath here in Delhi. They concede that on the face of it former Goa chief minister, an IIT graduate and a low-profile leader, not from Delhi, meets RSS chief Mohanrao Bhagwat’s criterion for choosing Rajnath’s successor. But Parikar is totally averse to coming to Delhi. In the run-up to the general election, the BJP asked him to contest for Lok Sabha but he came and met leaders in Delhi including Rajnath and Sushma and insisted that he waned to stay put in Goa.
Parikar’s name emerged when Advani recently ruled out disturbing state chief ministers, like Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Raman Singh. Instead he indicated that he planned to set sail around the country to hunt for talent among the youth which could take over the reins from the existing leadership at the Centre here.
BJP insiders, however, maintain that so far the party and Sangh have not given a go ahead to Advani to set out on another yatra.
