New Delhi: 9:14 pm: BJP chief Rajnath Singh says party's Parliamentary Board has rejected its patriarch LK Advani's resignation and has asked him to withdraw the same. "We have rejected Advani's resignation unanimously. As the party president, I would not accept the resignation letter at any cost," he says.
"All Parliamentary Board members were consulted on phone and personally. All members have requested Advani to take back his resignation. He is our guide, this role belongs to him," the BJP President said.
8:21 pm: BJP Parliamentary Board members will go to LK Advani's house and will request the party patriarch to withdraw his resignation, sources said. However, sources added there is no question of any reversal of decision on Narendra Modi.
8:14 pm: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray says LK Advani should be kept within the BJP at all costs.
6:49 pm: Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP Central Election Committee chief Narendra Modi on Monday claimed that he had requested party patriarch LK Advani to withdraw his resignation from the party posts.
"Had a detailed conversation with Advani ji on phone. Urged him to change his decision. I hope he will not disappoint lakhs of Karyakartas," Modi tweeted.
6:08 pm: LK Advani, who quit from all BJP posts on Monday, tells BJP leaders Ananth Kumar and Sudheendra Kulkarni that he won't back off from his resignation, sources inform CNN-IBN. Advani has told those who have came to pacify him that his problem is not with Narendra Modi but with the manner in which he has been slighted, sources add.
Advani says he had made it clear to party president Rajnath Singh that he should not appoint Narendra Modi in isolation, and that he should announce two separate committees for the state elections and general elections, sources are saying. Advani has told Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj and other BJP leaders that he won't participate in any party affairs, according to sources. Sources are further saying that Rajnath Singh is now totally dependent on RSS to resolve this crisis.
6:02 pm: BJP senior leaders will meet to discuss LK Advani's resignation at 7 pm today.
5:25 pm: RJD chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad takes a dig at the BJP. "Communal forces are fighting each other. There is not much difference between Advani and Modi. JDU and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are in a state of shock," says Lalu.
5:07 pm: Venkaiah Naidu appeals to LK Advani to withdraw his resignation. "We are all sad about what happened, we appeal to Advaniji to withdraw his resignation. It is not a matter of debate in the media," said Naidu.
4:50 pm: Shiv Sena leader Rahul Narvekar says Advani's resignation is "unfortunate". "Advani is the tallest leader of the NDA. We urge that he continues to give his guidance to the NDA," Narvekar adds. However, he goes on to add that, "It's an internal matter of the BJP and colleagues of Advani will prevail on him. We would definitely like BJP to address the issue."
4:30 pm: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh says senior BJP leaders are talking to Advani. "I can only request Advaniji to withdraw his resignation. Whatever is coming out is not good. There should be a respectable solution to such a crisis. The role of RSS is important in this. RSS leaders are capable of working out a solution as the BJP can't afford to lose a leader like LK Advani. He had worked hard to get BJP where it is now. I request that Advani should withdraw his resignation keeping in mind the present circumstances," said Singh.
4:12 pm: RSS leader MG Vaidya says if Advani quits, he won't leave alone.
4:07 pm: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut called Advani's resignation a sad event but added that it is an internal matter of the BJP. "Uddhav Thackeray has said that without Vajpayee and Advani, the BJP will be weak. Uddhav has also said that we need blessings and guidance of Advani. NDA was known for its leaders like Vajpayee, Advani, Bal Thackeray, Parkash Singh Badal. Udhav has said that Advani should be convinced and Advani should lead. Uddhav said that if NDA has to come to power then the whole NDA has to stay together, differences should not come out in open. BJP is the larger party in NDA, there are tall leaders in BJP but Advani is the tallest. There is no leader like Advani, we respect Advani. We all will convince Advaniji and tell him to lead us," said Raut.
3:57 pm: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweets: If his opinion didn't matter to you yesterday why is his resignation a crisis for you today?
3:50 pm: BJP leader Uma Bharti says she wants LK Advani to withdraw his resignation. "I appeal to Advaniji to withdraw his resignation. I heard Sushma Swaraj that she is going to persuade Advaniji. I wish her best of luck and I will be very happy if she manages to do it."
3:42 pm: RSS leader Ram Madhav has tweeted, "Advaniji's decision to resign from Party posts is unfortunate. Hope the Party leaders would persuade him to take it back."
3:34 pm: BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Sudheendra Kulkarni have arrived at Advani's residence in a bid to persuade him.
3:33 pm: LK Advani quitting is BJP's internal matter: Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Badal
3:26 pm: Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who is on her way to meet Advani, says she is confident that they'll convince him. "I am surprised he never shared it with us. But I'm sure we will convince him," Sushma said.
3:24 pm: BJP's media in-charge Shrikant Sharma said, "Rajnath ji and other senior leaders have requested Advani ji to withdraw his resignation."
3:14 pm: BJP leader Balbir Punj has arrived at LK Advani's residence. BJP leaders Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Ananth Kumar also met Advani after meeting Rajnath.
3:04 pm: The Janata Dal United has said it will soon decide its future course of action soon. JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav said, "Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani were the ones behind the creation of the NDA and our understanding was with them. This has shocked us the most. If Advani is not functional it's a very serious matter for us. JD(U)'s decision will come very soon."
3:01 pm: BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi called up Rajnath Singh and said Advani's resignation will lead to the BJP's downfall.
2:51 pm: The resignation of BJP patriarch LK Advani has left the party stunned. BJP President Rajnath Singh has rejected Advani's resignation.
2:42 pm: The resignation of BJP patriarch LK Advani has left the party stunned. BJP leader Ananth Kumar, who has gone to meet party President Rajnath Singh, has said the party won't accept Advani's resignation. Sources say senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj is expected to meet Advani.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani on Monday resigned from all party posts just a day after party President Rajnath Singh made Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi the chief of Central Election Committee for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The resignation of Advani, who was reportedly sick and ignored by the party top leadership at the two-day National Executive meet in Goa, brings the split within the party out in the open. Advani's resignation has stunned the BJP leaders to silence, who are refusing to speak on the issue. BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu met Rajnath Singh a few minutes after Advani's resignation.
Advani sent his resignation letter to Rajnath Singh alleging that many BJP leaders are now "concerned just with their personal agendas".
"All my life I have found working for the Jana Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party a matter of great pride and endless satisfaction to myself," said Advani in his resignation letter.
"I have decided, therefore, to resign from the three main fora of the party, namely, the National Executive, the Parliamentary Board, and the Election Committee. This may be regarded as my resignation letter," the letter said.
The resignation letter was released to the media just a few minutes after Rajnath Singh left Advani's residence after a 40-minute long meeting with the party patriarch.
BJP MP Kirti Azad said, "We will go and ask Advaniji what happened, I am sure the party will go and speak to him."
Advani was conspicuous by his absence at the two-day BJP National Executive in Goa citing ill health. However, speculation was rife that he was upset with Narendra Modi's rise in the party.
Advani had on Sunday made a reference to a wounded Bhishma Pitamah lying on a bed of arrows in a scene in Mahabharata after Modi's elevation. The 83-year-old party stalwart, however, made no mention of the Gujarat Chief Minister in his blog or in a video address to a religious event in Jaipur.
Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh had on Sunday said his heart goes out to Advani. "My heart goes out to Advani-ji. He brought the BJP from two to 182 in the Lok Sabha. But then the ungrateful BJP is a party with differences," tweeted Digvijaya.
Following is the full text of Advani's letter to Rajnath Singh:
Dear Shri Rajnath Singhji
All my life I have found working for the Jana Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party a matter of great pride and endless satisfaction to myself.
For some time I have been finding it difficult to reconcile either with the current functioning of the party, or the direction in which it is going. I no longer have the feeling that this is the same idealistic party created by Dr Mookerji, Deen Dayalji, Nanaji and Vajpayeeji whose sole concern was the country, and its people. Most leaders of ours are now concerned just with their personal agendas.
I have decided, therefore, to resign from the three main fora of the party, namely, the National Executive, the Parliamentary Board, and the Election Committee. This may be regarded as my resignation letter.
Yours Sincerely
LK Advani
10.06.2013
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