RSS steps in for leadership change in BJP

New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday said it would only advise the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if it asks for help. That was just diplomacy - the organisation has stepped into to manage a leadership change in the BJP.

Senior BJP leaders Murli Manohar Joshi and BC Khanduri met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday morning. This follows the Friday evening meeting of four senior BJP leaders, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Ananth Kumar and Venkaiah Naidu, held with Bhagwat.

The four leaders then met BJP leader LK Advani, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Sources tell CNN-IBN the urgent nature of talks suggest that the RSS, the ideological guide of the BJP, may be putting in place a plan of succession for the BJP.

Sources tell CNN-IBN Swaraj, Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is the frontrunner to take over from Advani as the Leader of Opposition.

Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, looks to be the favourite to replace Rajnath Singh as president of the party. This would make Venkaiah Naidu a favourite for the post of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

The leadership change will take place over some months and it is not clear if Advani and Singh will relinquish their posts before the Maharashtra polls slated for October or in December when the organisational polls are due within the BJP.

Bhagwat, at a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, said, "50 to 60 years is the average age for the Sangh leadership and it's for the political party to decide what should be the right age for it."

"If you talk about seniority then BJP is much senior to RSS. Compare average age of the leaders. RSS does not mind giving BJP suggestions, but it's up to BJP to implement and decide on party matters.

He was referring to Advani, 82, who was projected as the party’s prime ministerial candidate in the Lok Sabha.

Advani, in the past week, has come under fire from three former colleagues in the National Democratic Alliance government. Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha and Brajesh Mishra have alleged that Advani knew about the release of terrorists in December 2002.

Advani was no match to AB Vajpayee, said former National Security Advisor Mishra. “I would say that Mr Vajpayee is a statesman more than a politician. Mr Advani on the other hand was a very good organiser,” he said in a CNN-IBN show.

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