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Vajpayee, Advani quarreling : PM’s dig at BJP |
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Taking an unusual dig at the state of affairs in the BJP, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that the party’s top leaders, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani have been quarreling with each other. Speaking at a Congress convention in Thiruvananthapuram on Nov. 1, he said, “though two and a half years had gone, the opposition has not many issues to fight with. That is why they are quarreling with each other. Vajpayee is quarreling with Advani and Advani with Vajpayee.” Dr. Manmohan Singh asked the people to be on alert against forces trying to divide society on communal, caste and class lines when the nation was marching forward.
Upset over the Prime Minister’s remarks, BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley charged the Manmohan Singh Government with trying to divert people’s attention from the Government’s failures.
Referring to Dr. Manmohan Singh’s remarks, he said there was no other example in any other political party of two leaders working so closely with each other for five decades.
Observers say that despite the BJP’s rejoinder, it is apparent that there is turbulence in the BJP and the lack of leadership to resolve the differences is especially pronounced in t he run-up to the organizational elections later this month.
Party sources say that Rajnath Singh is poised to continue as BJP president, but with a few changes in his current team of office bearers. Senior party leaders discussed the polls at Vajpayee’s residence in New Delhi on Nov. 1. Party spokesperson Prakash Javdekar said 20 state units will elect their presidents in the next one week. Around Nov. 10, the schedule for the party chief’s election will be announced. The national council will then be convened for the polls. Sources say that the RSS, the parent body of the Sangh Parivar, wants Rajnath Singh to continue at least till the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections early next year. The Sangh is expected to dictate who occupies important positions in the new time of office bearers.
RSS pracharak Ram Lal Aggarwal, recently deputed to the BJP will supervise the party’s election management in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal.
RSS’s olive branch to dalits
The RSS has held out an olive branch to the down-trodden by coming out in support of dalit head priests at all centres of Hindu pilgrimage. An editorial in the Sangh mouthpiece Panchjanya says that the dalits are warriors of faith who need to be rewarded with priesthood. The move is being seen by observers as an attempt to end the alienation of dalits with the Sangh Parivar.
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