Modi-RSS meet: PM candidate discussion only after Gujarat polls, says RSS

New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday had a marathon three hour meeting with the RSS top brass, including its chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur. The meeting came just before the Gujarat polls, with a section of the party seeking to settle the leadership issue within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Sources now say that RSS would approach the issue only after the Gujarat elections.

Recently, BJP MP Ram Jethmalani had written to party president Nitin Gadkari seeking that Modi be made the party's prime ministerial candidate. However, squashing all the rumours, RSS sources said that the PM issue is something which will come up for discussion only after the Gujarat polls. For the moment, there are other pressing issues before the Sangh.

The meeting was held at Modi's behest with the Gujarat CM seeking time from the RSS top brass. And it is the first direct interaction between the two sides after the Sanjay Joshi episode, when the fierce critic of Modi was unceremoniously eased out of the party executive in Mumbai earlier this year under alleged pressure from Modi.

Gujarat CM Narendra Modi on Sunday had a marathon three hour meeting with the RSS top brass.

The meeting is also being seen as an attempt to iron out differences with the RSS before Gujarat polls since the state RSS and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) have not been in the best of terms with Modi. Also the Sangh has been now silently paving the way to provide another term to Nitin Gadkari as party president. With Modi seeking the Sangh's support in Gujarat, RSS may well ask the Gujarat strongman to approve its choice for the top party post.

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