'No major decisions possible in BJP sans Narendra Modi'
"Modi's consent had to be obtained to pave the way for Nitin Gadkari's second term as BJP chief and for that, Sanjay Joshi had to be made the sacrificial lamb," Thackeray said. "BJP had to accept Modi's condition that Joshi had to be shown the door if it wanted the Gujarat Chief Minister to attend the meeting," the Sena chief said. So far, the only claimant in BJP for the Prime Minister's post was a senior leader LK Advani, the octogenarian leader added.
"In the new script, several new heroes have stepped forward from the wing. Media reports say that besides Advani, the list now includes Gadkari, Modi, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley," he said. Everybody should keep personal ambitions aside and strive for victory in the next Lok Sabha election, he added. "Are senior leaders like Advani observing the goings-on in the party in a neutral manner or are they maintaining a distance deliberately?" asked the leader.
The Sena chief also suggested that efforts should be made to bring in old allies like Mamata Banerjee, Jayalalitha and Naveen Patnaik back into the NDA fold. Thackeray also described former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa as a "human bomb" within BJP, adding that Gadkari would always have to bear in mind that his path is "paved with landmines".
PTI