Parivar told to hold fire, Vajpayee fears bad name

Sources said that VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia called up Sudarshan for ‘‘instructions’’ immediately after the telecast of excerpts from his interview to Gupta.

But the RSS chief, sources said, advised him to maintain maun (silence). This was the reason why VHP working president Ashok Singhal and Togadia—they have been vocal in their criticism of the BJP—did not utter a word when Sudarshan kicked up a row by saying both Vajpayee and Advani should step aside to let a younger leadership take charge of the BJP.

Sources said that VHP vice-president Giriraj Kishore, unaware of Sudarshan’s instructions to Togadia, went public and endorsed the RSS chief’s views. Yesterday, Singhal ticked off Giriraj Kishore. ‘‘Why did you have to go to the media after the Parivar Mukhia had spoken?’’ Singhal is learnt to have asked Kishore. In Pune today, making his first public appearance after Sudarshan’s remarks against him and his family, Vajpayee made use of the Geetramayan’s golden jubilee celebrations to express his anguish.

Without naming anyone, Vajpayee quoted Ramayan to drive home his point. ‘‘I do not fear death, but I fear getting a bad name. We are living in such times that it is difficult to avoid being maligned.’’

He said even if Ram had taken birth in these difficult times, he too would have been maligned. He gave an instance from Ramayan to show that in difficult times, it is best to have patience. ‘‘Days turn into years, years turn into century. Change is inevitable. But one has to have patience.’’ Other than these oblique references, Vajpayee steered clear of any political remarks.

Meanwhile, the RSS plans to send copies of the interview to all its state units for further distribution among swyamsevaks to put the whole issue in perspective.

Annual training programmes of the Sangh are already underway. Key leaders of the organisation will meet state leaders once the training programmes conclude by July-end. They will then go afresh into the issue of the BJP leadership.

As part of the Parivar understanding, sources said, it will be status quo in the BJP for now. But the RSS, the sources maintained, remains firm on its basic demand that Advani give up charge of one of the two posts (party president and Leader of Opposition) and pave the way for the emergence of a younger leadership.

Sources said that Advani, who had offered to put in his papers immediately after the Sudarshan interview was telecast, is not likely to let the situation reach a point where he has to pitch in for a fight. It is not in his temperament, sources said, adding that the entire BJP organisational structure is controlled by RSS pracharaks who function as general secretaries (organisation) both at the Centre and in the states.

Meanwhile, the RSS leadership has shifted the headquarters of its pointman for BJP, Madan Dass Devi, from New Delhi to Mumbai. The move is yet to be announced. Joint general secretary Suresh Soni has been told to liaise between RSS and BJP. All-India Pracharak Pramukh H V Seshadri

and Madan Dass Devi are known for a pro-Advani line within the RSS.

—(With ENS from Pune)