Fissures in the Bharatiya Janata Party came to the fore on Thursday with senior party leader Murli Manohar Joshi saying Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah was not secular and there should be no dilution of the basic ideology of the party.
The former human resource development minister, considered close to the RSS and known detractor of Lal Kishenchand Advani, who raked up a controversy by his remarks on Mohd Ali Jinnah in Pakistan, emphasised that he would not like dilution of the "basic ideology" of the party and had conveyed this to other leaders.
"I have told party leaders, including M Venkaiah Naidu, that the basic ideology should not be diluted in any resolution that may be adopted by the party urging Advani to withdraw his resignation," Joshi said.
Virtually setting the stage for a stormy meeting of the parliamentary board and central office-bearers, Joshi said, "Jinnah can in no way be termed as a secular man. The party has to keep its ideology in mind when it takes any decision."
He added: "This is an issue between the one-nation theory and the two-nation theory. How can we reconcile?"
He said his differences with Advani were "ideological" and not personal. Joshi is understood to have made his views clear at Wednesday's meeting.
Joshi is also believed to have even asked Advani why he made such remarks. Advani is said to have preferred not to comment.
Also read: The Complete Coverage on the BJP crisis
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