National president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday spent a few hours with RSS top bosses in two meetings. It started off at Smriti Mandir at Reshimbagh and later extended to the RSS headquarters in Mahal area.
While Gadkari avoided talking to the media, the RSS did confirm the meeting.
Around 10.30am Gadkari visited the Reshimbagh office of the RSS, which was the venue of the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the all important representative body of the Sangh parivar that elects top RSS office-bearers. He met RSS Sarsanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat and his deputy Bhaiyyaji Joshi for almost two hours. Later, they moved to the RSS headquarters in Mahal and spent more time closeted in important deliberations.
This is the first meeting of the BJP president with the RSS bosses after the recent elections in five states where the party emerged with mixed results.
While it performed poorly in UP and lost Uttarakhand in a close political battle, it wrested Goa from the Congress and retained power in Punjab as an ally of Shiromani Akali Dal.
Gadkari’s meeting with the RSS bosses assumed more importance in light of the crisis gripping the BJP in Karnataka where former chief minister Yedyurappa has revolted claiming support of 70 MLAs. However, Joshi told reporters that Gadkari’s meeting had nothing to do with day-to-day politics or working of the BJP.
While admitting that the political crisis in Karnataka was serious, Joshi said the BJP and Gadkari were capable of resolving the crisis.
Gadkari is known to enjoy RSS blessings that came into play in his ascendancy as party chief. His term is ending in December and if it is to be extended, the BJP will have to amend its constitution which has provision of only term at the top for an individual leader.
TOI