Advani interrupted

The BJP is in Catch-22. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's return to politics may scuttle Advani chances

Advani interrupted

The BJP is in Catch-22. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's return to politics may scuttle Advani chances

Former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has given a rude shock to the prime ministerial aspirations of
LK Advani.

The BJP is clueless as to how should it handle the aspirations of one of its founding members, who is now threatening the so far unchallenged claim of Advani to the top post.

A confused Advani, pitching in his last chance to occupy the top chair in the South Block, sent party president Rajnath Singh to apologise for the latter's remarks against the veteran leader.

Referring to Shekhawat's desire to return to active politics, Rajnath had said that those who have taken a dip in the Ganga should not bathe in water drawn from a well.

Shekhawat rushed from Jaipur to Delhi to do what he is best at. The BJP veteran, at a press conference in the Capital, shot back: "Rajnath was not even born when I entered politics. It will take time for him to understand BJP."

Shekhawat remained unyielding, with or without the support of the BJP, the party he nurtured.
"Advaniji may be the prime ministerial candidate, but it doesn't stop me or anybody else from contesting elections," he said.

Even as the top party leadership is yet to formulate a way to deal with the awkward situation, insiders say Shekhawat would eventually back out. Another view in the party is that the former vice-president would not budge unless former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje is removed from the post of Leader of Opposition in the state.

Shekhawat's ire apparently stems from Raje side-stepping one of the tallest leader of the BJP. He was not consulted in distribution of party tickets before the recent Rajasthan Assembly elections. As soon as Raje went out of power, Shekhawat wrote to Rajashtan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, seeking a probe into the Rs 22,000 crore alleged corruption charges levelled by the Congress against her.

In Jaipur, Gehlot confirmed that the former vice-president had written to him urging the government to initiate a probe that the Congress Party promised in its manifesto.

"The BJP has lost virtually on every front to the Congress even before the general elections are announced.
The question of who is going to be the next PM from the BJP does not arise as the party should be thinking about its chances in the elections first," a Congress leader said.

But a section of the BJP leadership believes age is catching up with the veteran. "Wo sathiya gaye hain (He has become senile)," said a BJP leader, requesting anonymity.

"They are all in their eighties and they have to sort out their differences," another BJP leader said.

BJP sources said the political rhetoric within the party will eventually end after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Sangh are able to assuage Shekhawat.

War turf

Though the BJP has already declared Advani its prime ministerial candidate, the party is plagued by a string of second rung leaders who are largely from the five-star culture of Rajya Sabha politics that includes one of the most prominent strategists, Arun Jaitley. There is a sizeable majority within the BJP which sees Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as one of the strongest to lead the party in the long run.

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