Vajpayee says BJP will go to next polls under Advani

Asked to comment on party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi’s comments yesterday that a second generation leader would lead the party in the next elections, he said there was nothing unusual about it.

‘‘Leadership keeps changing. New leaders take over from the old ones and it is a continuous process,’’ he said.

There was one more development on the side. Naqvi – true to the Parivar tradition of following up every controversial statement with a clarification – sent a detailed letter to Advani clarifying his remarks. Sources in the BJP suspect that Naqvi’s remarks about the leadership change are aimed at getting good marks from the RSS. He has done it by even risking the displeasure of his present mentor, Venkaiah Naidu, who has promptly articulated his disapproval.

In peace time, Naqvi would have been in deep trouble for what he has done. But in the present free-for-all era, he, too, may get away with his remarks like many of his present colleagues in the party.

After having positioned himself in favour of Sudarshan’s line, Naqvi wrote to Advani, narrating the entire sequence of the questions and answers between him and the media at Rampur.

Though Naqvi had explained his remarks to party leaders last night, he put them in writing, saying he had only reiterated Advani’s earlier statement that a second-rung leader would lead the party in next elections.

Naqvi also pointed out to Advani that he had told the media that the second line of leaders had been groomed by both Vajpayee and Advani.