RSS to speak to Advani on Sangh-BJP relations

Breaking its month-long silence on Bharatiya Janata Party president Lal Kishenchand  Advani's charge that it was 'remote-controlling' the party, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Sunday said it would speak to him on the issue and expected his successor to adhere to the Sangh's five-point guidelines on the way the party should be run.

The Parivar would go into the reasons to ascertain as to what caused this perception to be formed, RSS Sarkaryawah Mohan Bhagwat told reporters on the concluding of the 3-day national executive committee meeting at Chitrakoot.

"We will meet Advani and see as to what are the reasons for the formation of this perception", he said adding that views of other swayamsevaks would also be ascertained.

When pointed out that Advani was an old RSS hand, Bhagwat said, "There could be other RSS men holding different views if there is deviation we will see what their view is."

Bhagwat also made it clear that the Advani's successor would have to adhere to the Sangh ideology and said 'the president could not alone take decisions'.

"The BJP is not a new party. It has a long history and we have our swayamsevaks there," he said in response to what would be the Sangh reaction if the next BJP chief did not have an RSS background.

Keeping up the pressure on Advani, Bhagwat went on to say that BJP's progress on the suggestions given by the Sangh was slow due to recent developments (Uma Bharti's letter and Advani's charge of interference).

On being asked about the suggestions given to BJP by he said they included ideology, organization, training of the workers, sanskar (values) and communication but hastened to add that the Sangh had not made any evaluation as yet on whether these had been implemented.

"We had also asked the party to resolve the disputes within the house and not to take it to the media," he said.

Bhagwat, however, refused to set a time frame when asked as to when the Sangh would be speaking to Advani regarding his charge on BJP-Sangh relations, made during the BJP national executive meeting in Chennai when he said that he would relinquish charge in December.

Rejecting contentions that the recent developments would in any way affect the Sangh's relationship with the BJP, he said, "There will be no bitterness in our relations."

"We are related to the BJP through our swyamsevaks. The organisations are free," he said.

On the letter written by Uma Bharti, Bhagwat said since the letter had been addressed to the RSS chief, only he could take any decision about it.

"We will follow the instructions by the sangh chief in this regard," he said.