If BJP buzz is to be believed, Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh’s “copter diplomacy” has finally succeeded to mollify party patriarch L.K. Advani, who has been opposing party leadership’s decision to crown Gujarat strongman Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate.
A senior leader in the ruling party here disclosed to this newspaper that the chief minister, who had accompanied the former deputy Prime Minister in a helicopter to reach Chhattisgarh’s industrial town of Korba from Raipur in the morning to attend a scheduled official programme, had used his persuasion skills to pacify the “sulking” leader during their 20-minute discussion on the issue.
“Initially, Mr Singh was a little pensive being apprehensive of facing a sulking Mr Advani over the issue. But, as the talk progressed in the copter, the party patriarch appeared slowly coming to terms with the reality of the development in the party. Later, Mr Advani was seen emerging from the helicopter at Korba smiling indicating that he has moved on,” a top BJP leader requesting anonymity said.
He, however, refused to elaborate on what transpired in the meeting between the two leaders in the copter.
Mr Advani was at Korba on Monday to dedicate a 500-MW power plant set up by the state government to the people.