Advani hints he's out of PM race

NAGPUR: BJP veteran L K Advani on Wednesday indicated he was not in the running as a prime ministerial hopeful, after a meeting with Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat during which he also discussed his proposed anti-corruption yatra.

The RSS brass is understood to have made clear its unhappiness on speculation about Advani, 83, being seen as BJP's prime ministerial nominee and while the Sangh is ready to support the yatra, it feels that the veteran has had his shot at the top job in 2009.

Asked about the yatra being seen as a pitch for the PM's post, Advani said, "I became a swayamsewak at the age of 14, then a member of the Jan Sangh and then BJP. I feel that what I got from these organizations in my political career of 55 years - from my fellow workers and the country - is much more than the prime minister's post."

While the leader's response was not categorical, it was interpreted by party circles as a stepping back from the prime ministerial projection that Advani's yatra had given rise to.

LK out, choice between Sushma, Jaitley, Modi?

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), while shooting down L K Advani's prime ministerial ambitions, has made it clear that it would like a younger leader to be projected for the top job and the decision is likely to be taken after the Uttar Pradesh assembly election next year.

The choice will lie between Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Narendra Modi. Advani could hope that if his yatra strikes a popular chord, he can still upset the seeding.

The RSS word will be seen as final, given its iron grip on the BJP after the party was reorganized with Sangh nominee Nitin Gadkari as president. There are strong indications that Advani was told of the Sangh's views during his hour-long meeting with Bhagwat on Wednesday.

It is understood that RSS bosses met at a private resort near the Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve near the city on September 15-16.Besides Bhagwat, the meeting was attended by RSS seniors like Bhayyaji Joshi, Madandas Devi, Dattatray Hosbal and Suresh Soni. They were firmly of the view that Advani should pass on the baton to younger leaders Narendra Modi, Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari and Arun Jaitley.

BJP leaders are worried that unless clarified, Advani's yatra will muddy the party's message that has focused on corruption, price rise and terrorism. The party does not want to turn the spotlight to its internal dynamics where an ill-defined pecking order has resulted in competing egos.

Feeling a lot lighter after surgery: Gadkari

Gadkari had a bariatric surgery last week in Mumbai for his weight problem. "I am already feeling lighter, better. The thick deposits are melting away," he said. "Now I am on a two-week liquid diet of only coconut water," he said after the surgery.