BJP parliamentary party chairman L.K. Advani’s close aide Sudheendra Kulkarni had dubbed Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as an “autocrat” who cares “two hoots” for the party and BJP chief Rajnath Singh as “foxy”.
A day after Mr Kulkarni wrote this in an article for a news portal, Mr Modi met Mr Advani on Tuesday amidst indications of a patch-up between the two warring factions.
Meanwhile, Mr Advani on Wednesday put off his meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat due to health reasons. Mr Bhagwat had played a crucial role to placate Mr Advani when the latter had resigned from key posts of the party apparently upset over Mr Modi’s elevation in the saffron party. The BJP, however, rubbished Mr Kulkarni’s article.
Though Mr Advani cancelled his meeting with the RSS chief, both are likely to meet on Thursday. Other senior BJP leaders, including party chief Rajnath Singh, are also expected to meet Mr Bhagwat. Meanwhile, former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari met Mr Bhagwat at the RSS office on Wednesday. Mr Advani also cancelled his other engagements for Wednesday, including a public meeting organised by party vice-president Uma Bharti on Ganga river issue.
In an article posted on a news website on Monday, Mr Kulkarni called BJP chief Rajnath Singh “foxy”. He said the BJP chief has “astrologically-induced delusions” of becoming the Prime Minister. Scoffing at Mr Kulkarni’s comments, BJP national spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said, “He can have his own opinion, who cares.” Mr Kulkarni maintained that despite his age, Mr Advani, 85, still had a lot to contribute to the party and the country.