Advani relents, to share stage with Modi

Sep 15, 2013

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New Delhi: After being isolated and eclipsed, BJP patriarch L.K. Advani apparently threw in the towel by agreeing to share the dais with the NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at an election rally in Bhopal on September 25. While some described it as Advani’s “surrender”, others viewed it as a “tactical retreat to live to fight another day”. Another section claimed that Advani had no way out but to go since it is the home turf of his “latest blue-eyed boy” — Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.It was BJP chief Rajnath Singh who declared that Advani would share the dais with Modi. “All the party leaders will be there. You will find both,” Singh said in Mumbai.Advani ‘unhappy’ but will not quitIsolated within the organisation, the sulking patriarch displayed his anger to the leaders who called on him on Saturday. One of his close aides revealed that Advani, told some BJP leaders, “If you are asked to bend, you start crawling.”At the same time, Advani apparently indicated that he would not yet quit. “Main kahin nahi ja raha hun. Abhi bahut lamba rasta tai karna hai (I am not going anywhere. We have miles to go).” Despite these signals, nobody in BJP is sure about his next move.On Saturday, Sushma Swaraj, Ananth Kumar and Balbir Punj met Advani. After the meeting when asked about Advani’s stand Swaraj said “Nobody is upset.”

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