Advani hands over baton,gets new post

As expected,Sushmas name was announced at the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting by the outgoing Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha,L K Advani,who was made BJP Parliamentary Party chairman,following an amendment to the BJP Parliamentary Party constitution.

Its not curtains for Advanis political innings,though. In a strong rebuttal of reports appearing in a section of the media that the rathyatri was finally getting off the rath,Advani said: This marks a new chapter in my life. I became a rathtyatri at the age of 14 when I joined the RSS. I am not the one to quit this rath yatra. This yatra will continue through life.

Expressing a sense of relief and sense of satisfaction as he nominated Swaraj and Jaitley to be the Leaders of Opposition in the two Houses of Parliament,Advani said what was de facto till now,would become de jure. While the day-to-day responsibilities in the two Houses would now be looked after by Sushma and Jaitley,Advani would mentor the new-generation BJP leadership.

With Gadkaris elevation as party president,the RSS is likely to tighten its control over the BJP,but Advani also sounded a word of caution to the MPs against the railway compartment mentality. We must shed the railway compartment mentality,where the occupants of a compartment are usually loath to accept a new entrant, he said. Coming as it did,on the eve of Gadkaris elevation,the message was significant,for apprehensions have been expressed that a rank outsider might find the going difficult in the national BJP.

At the beginning of the BJP Parliamentary Party proceedings,Rajnath led the assembled 112-strong MPs to amend the BJP Parliamentary Party constitution,thereby creating a provision for the position of BJP Parliamentary Party chairperson. The amendment had been inspired by similar arrangements existing in the Indian National Congress,said party leaders.

With the BJP in the midst of a transition,Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi found a special mention in Advanis speech. When I spoke to him today,I was reminded of the new system of compulsory voting that he has sought to introduce in local bodies elections in the state. The system has a none-of-the-above option too,and I think it would be appreciated by the people.