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L K Advani, who stepped down as BJP chief on Saturday
announced that he will be in the running for the prime
ministerial office for the next round of parliamentary
elections in 2009.
Advani, much to the disappointment of his critics
in the party, ruled out giving up the post of leader
of opposition. The twin announcements at the interaction
with the media made plain his intention to remain very
much on the political canvas.
Asked whether he would be BJP's choice for the post
of prime minister in the 2009 polls now that A B Vajpayee
has retired, Advani said: "It will depend on the
party. I will do what the party tells me, even when
I was not leader of opposition or party president, it
was (the) party which made me an important face".
Asked whether he, too, was considering quitting active
politics like Vajpayee, the outgoing BJP chief laughed
and said: "As far as I remember he (Vajpayee) spoke
of his retirement, but I have not made any such statement.”
The Jinnah controversy figured in the interaction
with media. Advani who handed over the charge to Rajnath
Singh said that he was feeling relieved. Asked if he
was disappointed or hurt at his party colleagues for
not standing by him on the issue, Advani said, he "was
only disappointed at myself for not being able to communicate
properly to my party on what I had said about Jinnah
in Pakistan". He stressed that he had only pointed
out to Pakistan that it had not followed the secular
ways that Jinnah had talked about in his speech after
Pakistan was created.
When asked of his talk of a debate at the Chennai
executive in September, about RSS trying to control
BJP affairs, Advani contended that he had asked for
"no debate but had only given his views on the
issue."
BJP finally moved over to GenNext as Rajnath Singh
was pronounced the party chief by his predecessor L
K Advani after he resigned from the top post on Saturday
morning. This was in keeping with his promise to step
down made in Chennai last September.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Rajnath
Singhji," said Advani, after making the announcement:
"I share the confidence of all the delegates that
Rajnath Singh will take the party to newer heights.
He has shown great dedication and commitment and also
made a mark for himself for his administrative acumen
first as a minister and chief minister in Uttar Pradesh
and later as a minister in Shri Vajpayee's government
at the Centre."
"BJP will move ahead on the path of the political
ideology that it had started on," promised Rajnath
Singh.
The 54-year old Rajput leader from UP said that he was
"taking over a responsibility and not a post, not
a prestigious position but a test."
Bal Apte may be the organizing secretary, the post
which Sanjay Joshi had held in the Advani team.
Singh said, "I am taking over this responsibility
from Advani who took the party born in 1980, from two
to 200 seats."
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