New Delhi, September 05: After a string of disgruntled visitors, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had an important guest on Friday — RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. A statement issued by the RSS, the ideological mentor of the BJP, said Bhagwat “met Vajpayee to know about his health and discuss contemporary issues”.
Vajpayee, 85, is currently not into active politics because of health reasons that have kept him out of public life. He has, however, had a string of visitors in the past few weeks
when the BJP got embroiled in a serious crisis.
Nearly all the leaders visiting Vajpayee were seen as belonging to the group that has been sidelined or is unhappy with the current party dispensation. They are seen as Vajpayee’s group, which, is alleged, to have fallen out of favour in the party ever since he became too seriously ill to have a say in party matters.
In the party circuit, RSS chief Bhagwat’s visit to Vajpayee and the issuing of a formal statement on the visit is also being seen as intended to send out a message. The meeting, lasting about 30 minutes, comes in the wake of a series of deliberations between the RSS and the BJP top brass last week on internal squabbles and leadership issues within the party.
Last week, Bhagwat met leaders of every group and faction of the trouble-torn BJP in an attempt to restore order in the party. The BJP leaders were told to sort out their differences and ensure a transition to the next rung of leadership. This is expected to happen by year-end.
–Agencies–