As the IT city Bengaluru is all set to host the fifth National Executive here on Friday, many party leaders are wondering whether party patriarch lK Advani will address the meet or notIJ Party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said, “All the Ministers will be present at the National Executive meet. How can we work without the blessings of our senior leadersIJ”
He refused to give a categorical answer when asked whether Advani will deliver the valedictory address as has been the practice ever since the party was founded in 1980. It may be recalled that Advani had not attended the National Executive meet held in 2013 in Goa as he was cornered and was upset over moves to project Narendra Modi as the party’s Campaign Committee chief for the 2014 lok Sabha polls. Incidentally, Advani resigned from all party posts a day after the conclave concluded on June 8. He was later persuaded by the party leaders to withdraw his resignation.
After Shah took over as the party chief, Advani and a few other senior leaders, like Murli Manohar Joshi, were made members of party’s ceremonial ‘Margdarshak Mandal’ and have not played much of an active role in party affairs since then.
Prime Minister Modi arrived in Bengaluru on Thursday afternoon to take part in the Party Office Bearers Meet and will also be presiding the National Executive meet, which is expected to focus on strengthening the party in seven States where party is weak and much debated land Bill. A senior party functionary said the Prime Minister and the party president held a meeting of over 100 office bearers as a preamble to the National Executive meet.
A source in the party told The Pioneer that the party was serious in getting the land Bill passed as the land Ordinance introduced in December expires on Sunday. He said the Government plans to bring a new decree with some amendments added when the land Bill was passed by the lok Sabha last month. However, the Government did not succeed in bringing the proposal to the Upper House or Rajya Sabha, where it is in the minority.
On the row created by Union Minister Giriraj Singh, the BJP said it considers the matter closed as the Minister has expressed his regret. “Giriraj Singh has clarified his position. The matter has ended and should not be made an issue by our opponents. Giriraj Singh has expressed regret over his comments,” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain told reporters in Bengaluru.
Hussain was replying to questions on Congress’ protests against Singh’s remarks against Sonia Gandhi. The BJP leader, however, evaded queries on Congress’ demand for sacking of the Minister. Meanwhile, the Congress and NSUI workers staged a protest near a hotel where top BJP leaders have gathered for the party’s two-day National Executive meeting. The protesters shouted slogans against Giriraj Singh and burnt his effigy.
According to party sources, Singh was forced to express regret after a call from Amit Shah who made it clear to him that “such language” is not acceptable. They said Shah called Singh and made it clear in no uncertain terms that it was unbecoming of a Minister to use such a language.
The two-day meet of the saffron party is expected to finalise the strategy for the centrepiece of the Government’s economic reform — how to make land purchases easier for industry and to develop roads, ports and power stations, among other infrastructure projects. The meet is also expected to focus on how to improve the BJP’s strength in States where it has so far been a fringe player — like in Assam, Bengal and Tamil Nadu.