Thakre to tour country, mock at `ill-health’ excuse

“If his health did not permit him to function as BJP president, how can he travel so extensively,” asked some party leaders. “There is definitely more to it than meets the eye. If he was fit enough to undertake cross-country tours, why was he deprived a renomination,” they ask.

Thakre has already decided to vacate the Tilak Marg Government bungalow allotted to him when he was the BJP president, and would soon be returning to a small office-cum-bedroom set in party headquarters on 11, Ashoka Road.

Initially, Thakre wanted to shift to 9, Ashoka Road, a bungalow better known as `bachelors’ den’ for it is inhabited by BJP office-bearers who are single. But he had to change the plan after the office-bearer, in whose room he wanted to shift, expressed his inability to vacate it on health grounds.

It was then that he decided to return to his old office-cum-bedroom in the party headquarter presently inhabited by BJP general secretary K.N. Govindacharya — who would have then moved to an adjoining room.

Thakre personally inspected both the rooms and finally decided to take the new room being freshly furnished for Govindacharya.

The 20-days interregnum between Minister of State for Railways Bangaru Laxman’s election, and his formal takeover as BJP president on August 27 — at party’s National Council meeting in Nagpur — has created quite a few problems for him as well as his predecessor.

With Thakre still occupying the party president’s office, Bangaru will have to search for an alternative working accommodation. This is cited as one of the main reasons for him not resigning from the Cabinet till he formally takes over as party chief.

In a an attempt to keep up the tradition of accompanying the press corps on a train to attend the first council meeting, the president-elect would be leaving Delhi by G.T. Express on August 25. That leaves the present incumbent, Thakre, who is also fond of travelling by train, to take the Bangalore Rajdhani the same day.