BJP doesn’t need allies which are against it, Modi tells Advani

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New Delhi, June 18, 2013: On his first visit to Delhi after being made head of BJP’s election campaign committee, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met senior BJP leader LK Advani and is understood to have discussed the recent political developments including the split in the NDA.

Sources close to Advani, who was unhappy over Modi’s anointment, later told PTI that the two leaders had a "good meeting".

 

According to TV reports, Modi has told Advani that BJP doesn’t need allies which are against it. The reports further say that Advani told Modi he didn’t resign from party posts because of Gujarat CM’s elevation at Goa conclave.

Modi, who drove down to Advani’s residence at Prithviraj Road in Delhi, spent about an hour with the BJP patriarch and left without meeting the media.

The two leaders discussed a range of issues including the party’s internal affairs and the split in the NDA after BJP’s old-time ally JD(U) parted ways after an alliance of 17 years, the sources said.

Tuesday’s meeting assumed significance as Advani had resigned from key party posts expressing displeasure at being sidelined over the Modi issue.

Advani, however, later withdrew his resignation following a telephonic talk with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and persuasion by BJP leaders.

The Gujarat chief minister also spent more than an hour with ailing former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at his residence.

Earlier, Modi also met senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi to express his gratitude on being entrusted with the task of spearheading the party’s poll campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"Modiji has come to Delhi to express his gratitude over his recent appointment as Chairman of the BJP Campaign Committee at Goa. He has expressed his gratitude and said he is trying to fulfil the responsibility given to him," Joshi later told reporters.

He is also expected to meet Bhagwat, who is also slated to meet Advani.