Government formation : Modi meets Advani, top party leaders
Source: The Sangai Express / Agencies
New Delhi, May 18 2014 :
Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi on Sunday called on party patriarch LK Advani after holding consultation with a number of party leaders including his key aide Amit Shah here ahead of the formation of the next government headed by him.
Apparently to signal that the 86-year-old leader is being kept in the loop over key decisions, party general secretary Ananth Kumar also visited Advani's residence before Modi's arrival.
The meetings at Advani's residence come a day after the BJP Parliamentary Board, the highest decision-making body of the party, met here for the first time after the landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections to decide issues related to government formation.
Modi was welcomed by all leaders, including Advani who greeted him with sweets and an embrace yesterday.
Before the start of the meeting at the party headquarters, Modi had first greeted Advani and bent towards him in a gesture of respect.
Advani had then embraced him.
Advani was initially opposed to anointment of Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate and had even resigned last year from all posts in protest, only to change his decision a day later.
It was decided yesterday that Modi will be formally elected as the leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party at its meeting here on May 20 ahead of taking oath as the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, BJP said RSS has no role in govt formation and sought to downplay the ongoing hectic parleys and thronging of its senior leaders to the Sangh headquarters here, holding that its leadership is competent enough to take its decisions.
Former BJP president Venkaiah Naidu said RSS is a social organization which only talks on matters of national interest and the BJP leadership is competent enough to take decisions on government formation after consultations among themselves.
His reply came amid hectic political activity and BJP leaders making a beeline for "Keshav Kunj", the RSS headquarters in the national capital.
Naidu also played down his and other leaders' meetings with RSS leaders, terming them as "routine".
"The question does not arise.
The Sangh never interferes in such matters," he said, when asked if RSS has a role in the government formation.
Naidu, who was coming out after meeting RSS general secretary and second in command in the Sangh, said he has been a former president of the party and he is saying so with his own experience that RSS never interferes in matters of Cabinet or government formation.
"We are swayamsevaks.
We come here to Sangh headquarters to meet our seniors.
That is part of our life.
There is nothing big about it," he said.
"This is a task of the BJP, and its leadership is competent enough to take its decisions after consultations among themselves," the BJP leader said while refusing to entertain any further questions on Cabinet formation.