Hyderabad, August 31: Senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu denied media reports that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani or party president Rajnath Singh would step down from their posts and asserted that no debate took place in the organisation on leadership change.
At a press conference, he described such media reports as “speculative and imaginary.”
Mr. Naidu maintained that Mr. Advani agreed to become leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party in the 15th Lok Sabha following pressure from the party leaders as also from the rank and file. Mr. Advani would continue to be leader of the party. Similarly, there was no vacancy for the party president’s post. Organisational polls would be held soon and it would be followed by elections for the president’s post.
Mr. Naidu said he was not in the race for any post as the party had given him every opportunity.
‘No RSS intervention’
The RSS, he said, does not interfere in the “day-to-day affairs” of the BJP or decide leadership issues. The party conducts itself independently and decisions are taken after thorough consultations in the organisation. However, the party does not shy away from seeking “valuable advice and guidance” of the RSS. There would be exchange of views on issues of mutual interest.
On the suggestion of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for “generational change” in the party, Mr. Naidu said he did not want to interpret what Mr. Bhagwat had stated. But, Mr. Bhagwat had emphasised the need for bringing more youth and “we are doing it.”
On the question of who would lead BJP in the 2014 elections, he said the polls would be fought by a “youthful leader.”
Admitting that the party was facing problems in the aftermath of the Lok Sabha election defeat and expulsion of Jaswant Singh, he said the BJP had the capacity and calibre to overcome them.
On Congress spokesperson A.M. Singhvi’s demand for an apology from Mr. Advani on the cash-for-vote scam, he asked the Congress to explain first how it manipulated a minority government into a majority and if it was ready for a judicial probe to unearth the truth.
–Agencies