Tuesday, Jun 10, 2003
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By Neena Vyas
The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, asserted this in Washington, the party president, Venkaiah Naidu, repeated this in Chennai "atoning" for his earlier slip, and the party spokesperson and general secretary, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, also spread the good news that the leadership issue controversy was settled, "it was a closed chapter". But the issue refuses to die down with party members at all levels offering their own explanations for the various statements that have emanated from the top Bharatiya Janata Party leaders over the last few days leaving the cadre in a state of confusion. The Human Resource Development Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, met the Prime Minister today, ostensibly to discuss matters relating to his Ministries but party sources insist that the leadership controversy did figure. Mr. Vajpayee is believed to have impressed upon the need to quickly end the controversy by avoiding statements that would carry it further. A few days ago, Mr. Joshi had charged that the party president, Venkaiah Naidu, did not have the party's endorsement for his controversial statement saying that during elections the BJP would project the twin leadership of Mr. Vajpayee, as `vikas purush' (the development man) and Mr. Advani, as `loh purush' (the iron man). It was felt that the description amounted to downgrading the importance of the Prime Minister. As the issue refuses to die down, Mr. Naidu was once again forced to make statements to the effect that Mr. Vajpayee was unquestionably "the leader" of the BJP, the National Democratic Alliance and the country and would be the party's choice for Prime Minister after the next general elections. Here the party spokesperson and general secretary, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, refused to offer any comments beyond saying that the matter was "a closed chapter". Senior party leaders have admitted that Mr. Naidu's controversial remarks were a symptom of the power struggle at the top in the party. It is being pointed out that there was no controversy earlier when the party projected the triumvirate of Vajpayee, Advani and Joshi, then later it was just Vajpayee and Advani and before the 1999 elections it was Vajpayee who alone was the party mascot and the declared favourite for the Prime Minister's job. The fact that the twin leadership issue was floated by no less a person that the party president at a time when the BJP was in the midst of poll preparations was a pointer to a plan for a leadership change, partymen believe, and it came as no surprise to them. Recently, it had become more than obvious that Mr. Advani's role in government and the party had slowly and steadily enlarged in keeping with his new designation as the Deputy Prime Minister. He certainly was the declared number two in the party, then where was the need to say that both Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Advani will be projected? And if anyone in the party had any doubt about the significance of Mr. Naidu's twin mascot formula, Mr. Vajpayee's outburst that Mr. Advani should lead the party made it very plain that all was not well at the top. "It was Mr. Advani's bid for Prime Ministership," a senior party leader said. He did not want to be quoted.
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