Former bureaucrats rally around Advani

As BJP leader L K Advani firms up his bid for the country's top job, a group of former bureaucrats is emerging as a close ring of advisors for him.

As BJP leader L K Advani firms up his bid for the country’s top job, a group of former bureaucrats is emerging as a close ring of advisors for him.

In an informal meeting of party seniors at Advani’s residence on Saturday, former IB chief Ajit Doval and former defence secretary Ajay Prasad dropped in. Former bureaucrat and Delhi Lt Governor Vijay Kapoor was also part of the meeting. Yet another bureaucrat frequenting Advani of late is former home secretary Anil Baijal.

Kapoor is already a special invitee to the BJP’s national executive. The meeting at Advani’s place was reportedly to decide on the agenda for a conference of NDA chief ministers. Kapoor said in the past too, he had been part of the organising team for such conferences.

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Doval, who was director of IB when Advani was home minister, briefed BJP leaders on the situation in Pakistan and the elections there. “I am a retired man. The interaction with the BJP has nothing to do with any political ambition and I have no plans to formally join the party. My opinion is sought on matters of internal security,” he said.

Baijal, who was home secretary during Advani’s tenure, is also a frequent visitor to the BJP leader’s residence. Prasad, another key bureaucrat of the previous government was moved from defence to civil aviation when the UPA came to power.

He was in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry when Advani was minister in the mid-70s.