2004 - Indian Social Institute

Togadia said, "By electing the leader who is responsible for betraying Hindus, the BJP has given a
message that it does not want to return to Hindu agenda. RSS spokesman Ram Madhav, however, said,
"Advaniji is a highly respected and mature leader, who has grown up in the Sangh ideology, understands
the significance of the sentiments of the people who are spearheading the ideology." Mr Togadia said,
"Advani had not only described the demoli tion of the disputed structure at Ayodhya as the most shameful
day in his life but termed the post-Godhra riots as a blot on the nation." However, the RSS spokesman
observed, "We hope that he would be able to bring in necessary changes to meet the expectations of all."
(Asian Age 19.10.04)
20 th October
No rush to return BJP to Hindutva: Advani (26)
New Delhi, Oct. 19: Newly-elected BJP chief L.K. Advani is in "no hurry to return to hard-line-Hindutva,"
The BJP old war-horse, who took over following the squabbling of the young Turks, intends to adhere to
the moder ate line being followed by former Prime Min ister Atal Behari Vajpayee. However, at the same
time, Mr Advani would also keep the party's "ideology intact, without making the contentious issues as
party's main poll plank," a senior party functionary said. Mr Advani, who took over to contain the ongoing
power struggle in the party, also indi cated that "no individual should be held accountable for the
Maharashtra poll debacle." Sources disclosed that the BJP old guard was against "singling out Mr
Mahajan for the Maharashtra results and wanted him to contin ue as party general secretary." However,
the new team would be decided following a discussion between Mr Advani, Mr Vajpayee and Mr Jaswant
Singh. During Monday's meeting, former BJP chief M. Venkaiah Naidu expressed "disgust" at the way
some of his "party colleagues had launched a crusade against him." Mr Mahajan also opined that
"whatever was happening against Mr Naidu was not fair." He was referring to the whisper campaign
launched against Mr Naidu by a sec tion of partymen, sources said. (Asian Age 20.10.04)
22 ND October
Apte’s RSS star rises in Avani’s BJP plans (26)
New Delhi, Oct. 21: Bal Apte, the RSS point man in the BJP who also doubles as the party's
vice-president, is likely to play a key role in newly-appointed president L.K. Advani’s plans for setting the
saffron house in order. A low-profile man, Mr Apte recently moved into the parly's ' core strategy team
headed by Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani. He was present at the crucial meet ings over the weekend at
which Mr Advani's takeover as party president was finalised. His entry into the BJP's kitchen cabinet is a
significant development because it marks the start of efforts to re-establish the RSS-BJP bond, which
came under severe strain during the tenure of the NDA government. Mr Advani's trip to Nagpur to attend
the Vijay Dashami cele brations at the Sangh headquar ters is another indication that a patchup operation is
underway. Mr Apte's importance lies in the fact that as the man in charge of the Sangh's student wing,
ABVP, during his years in the RSS, he has groomed virtually all the leading lights of the sec ond- and
third-rung leadership of the party. These include Mr Arun Jaitley, Mr Pramod Mahajan, Mr M. Venkaiah
Naidu, Chhattisgarh chief minis ter Raman Singh, former I&B minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, former urban
development min ister Ananth Kumar, ideologue Govindacharya and Lok Sabha MP from Bihar Sushil
Modi. (Asian Age 22.10.04)
23RD October
Varun at RSS Nagpur meeting (26)
New Delhi, Oct. 22: BJP chief L.K. Advani attended the RSS' Vijay Dashami rally at Nagpur on Friday.
Also present at the RSS function was the BJP's third-line leader, Mr Varun Gandhi, who,
according to some reports, had been preparing to join the Congress. Though Mr Gandhi did not
"salute" the "bhagwa dhwaj (saffron flag)", he listened with rapt attention as RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan
called the Marxists "Marxputras" and "Macaulayputras" and cau tioned Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to "not allow a foreign-born citizen to inter vene in policy matters". Mr Varun Gandhi's
presence at the function has given rise to speculation about the possibility of an organisational berth for
him. The RSS chief, who refrained from commenting on the BJP, however, stressed on the "need to bring
about a renaissance of the ageless Hindu life values". Arriving in Nagpur on Thursday night, Mr Advani
made' it clear that the BJP's relationship with the RSS "is inseparable". This incidentally, is Mr Advani's
first visit to the RSS headquarters at Nagpur after taking over as BJP president. (Asian Age 23.10.04)