With Atal Behari Vajpayee declaring that he had no differences with his ‘‘friend, colleague as well as party president’’ L K Advani, the four-day-long crisis in the BJP was temporarily defused this evening, but the fissures opened up by the battle is likely to cast its shadow on the BJP national executive meeting in Chennai later this week, well placed sources said. Advani, who refused to speak to the media during a tour of Madhya Pradesh today, has strengthened his position—at least for the moment. Despite Vajpayee’s criticism of Madan Lal Khurana’s expulsion on September 8 and the several rounds of meetings between Khurana and Vajpayee over the last three days, the former Delhi strongman was formally served his expulsion order today. The move was aimed at sending a clear signal—that Advani was still boss and ‘‘indiscipline’’ would not be tolerated. Advani was able to carry out that decision because of the backing he received from his team of general secretaries as well as senior party leaders such as Jaswant Singh. Having shown Khurana the door, efforts are on to get him to issue a public apology that could facilitate his re-entry, sources said. But it was the much-awaited Atalspeak at Lucknow that came as music to the BJP chief’s ears. Vajpayee, who had kept a studied silence since his bombshell criticising Khurana’s expulsion on Thursday, broke it with equal panache in Lucknow. That he chose to speak on his friendship with Advani despite the formal expulsion order served on Khurana (which was seen in party circles as a direct rebuff to Atal) was particularly heartening for the Advani camp. Without alluding to the Khurana case at all, Vajpayee told the gathering in Lucknow: ‘‘Kaha jaa raha hai bahut matbedh hai. Maine un logon se poocha kya zameen mein kaan lagaye rahte ho, ya chuhai ke bill mein ghuse rahte ho (It is being said that there are many differences between us. I ask them whether they had their ear to the ground or had entered mice holes).’’ There was no truth to the ‘‘rumours’’, he said and went on to speak of his association of ‘‘forty to fifty years’’ with Advani. ‘‘Advaniji mitr hain, sahyogi hain aur party ke adhyaksh bhi hain, humlog milke kaam karte hain. Milkar kaam karna bhi chahiye (Advani is a friend, a colleague and the party president; we work together and we should always do so.)’’ Pointing out that opponents would like to take advantage of perceived differences within the party, he said such efforts should be thwarted. Party unity, he said, was the key. Vajpayee’s eloquent words on friendship and unity, however, are unlikely to paper over the fissures that plague the BJP, party insiders feel. Although Vajpayee, in true flip-flop tradition, has once again talked his way out of a crisis of his own making, other ‘‘dissidents’’ are both unable and unwilling to do the same, sources said. Several Advani-baiters such as Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha, Pyarelal Khandelawal, Jana Krishnamurhty et al echoed Vajpayee’s criticism of Khurana’s expulsion over the past few days. While Vajpayee may have come out in Khurana’s defence because of his personal association with the Delhi leader, the others were clearly hitting out at the BJP chief. Many of these ‘‘dissidents’’ had planned to raise Advani’s controversial remarks in Pakistan at the July national executive meeting which was postponed to September. They are likely to raise the question of both ‘‘ideological deviation’’ and ‘‘organisational deficiencies’’ at the Chennai meet, sources said. Although they have not made common cause with Khurana, they too are critical of the ‘‘coterie’’ surrounding Advani and the lack of ‘‘democratic decision-making.’’ The RSS, which kept aloof from the Atal-Advani spat over Khurana, is also waiting for Advani’s exit. And while Vajpayee’s peace-offering today helps Advani, it also means that the BJP chief would have to make some quid pro quo—possibly on the question of Narendra Modi.
