Advani scotches reports on RSS nudging him

Rakesh Mohan Chaturvedi

New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) Dismissing media reports that
Rashtriya Seva Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Indian organisation,
has asked him to nominate a successor, senior Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) leader L K Advani Wednesday said he intends to
complete his full five-year term as Leader of the Opposition.

The discussion he had with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on
Monday over lunch related to BJP's performance in the
just-concluded budget session of Parliament and the current
political situation and the Shimla brainstorming session of
party leaders did not not figure in it.

"I still stand by what I had said at the press
conference (at the end of the session last week). If had if I
accept something relunctantly then I cannot contribute my best
to it," he told PTI in reply to questions on media reports on
his meeting with Bhagwat, who is said to have suggested that
Advani chose his successor in the near future.

Asked about Sushma Swaraj's assertion that he would
continue as Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha for a full
five-year term, he said "certainly".

Advani reiterated what he had said last week it was out
of his own volition that he accepted to be Leader of the
Opposition.

"I had taken this decision and I do nothing
reluctantly. If I accepting something reluctantly then I
cannot contribute my best to it," he said.

Asked about the reported suggestion of Bhagwat to
Advani for nominating a successor, RSS spokesman Ram Madhav
said "Advani and BJP are capable of taking decisions on
their own. RSS has nothing to do with it."

BJP spokesman said "such meetings keep taking place.
We have no no comment to make on this."

Advani said he was surprised by the reports appearing
in a section of the media about his meeting Bhagwat, which was
a one-one-one interaction.

He said he had raised the brought up the statement he
had made in the Delhi press conference with Bhagwat, which was
a reply to a question put to him.

Advani's remarks last week had sought to end
speculation over his continuance as Leader of the Opposition
in Lok Sabha.

Soon after the Lok Sabha elections, Advani had told
the party leaders that he would not not take any post but
relented when the party leaders in the core group insisted
that he lead the party in Parliament.

Ever since there had been speculation that he would
make way for younger leaders to take over and analysts saw
nomination of Arun Jaitley as Leader of the Opposition in
Rajya Sabha and Sushma Swaraj as Deputy Leader in the lower
House as pointers in this direction. PTI RC
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