BJP to revive ‘Atal-Advani’ combo with a makeover?

A meeting at Panipat to be attended by RSS top brass is likely to chalk out a strategy to deal with the situation arising out of the arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and the subsequent discontentment among Hindu outfits, sources said.

“This meet would be an occasion to convert divergence into convergence on the Malegaon issue,” a top party source said.

“It is quite natural that the Prime Ministerial face cannot go aggressive on the issue or defend a suspect. The job is left over to the party chief,” he added.

Hindu religious leaders and organisations under the Sangh Parivar, including BJP, Bajrang Dal, VHP, Durga Vahini, Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad, besides yoga guru Baba Ramdev will participate in the event.

In the early 1990’s, Advani led the BJP’s Ayodhya campaign which saw the party rising from two seats in 1984 Lok Sabha to become the ruling party in 1996 with Vajpayee being the known liberal face, referred to as the BJP’s ‘mask’ by the Opposition.

The Sangh Parivar has already launched a campaign to apprise people about the ‘motives’ of the UPA government which it accused of trying to cover up its actions by making false allegations against religious leaders in the Malegaon blast case.

The Sangh’s action, which comes close on the heels of polls in six states and months before a general election, is aimed at building a public opinion against the ‘anti-Hindu forces’, RSS sources said.

Mass movements initiated by the Sangh have benefited BJP in both state and Parliament elections in the past.