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Advani meets RSS chief

June 01, 2009 18:05 IST

Senior BJP leader L K Advani today met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and discussed in detail the reasons behind the party's defeat in Lok Sabha elections and strategies for its revival.

"I had a long and productive discussion with Bhagwat about the election results... I thanked the RSS for its help in the elections. The Sangh worked very hard," Advani said after emerging from a 75-minute meeting with Bhagwat at the RSS headquarters in New Delhi.

Advani said he had not met Bhagwat since March. The appointment of the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the deputy Leader of Opposition in both the houses and other posts were also discussed by the two leaders.

At the BJP parliamentary party meeting yesterday Advani was authorised by party President Rajnath Singh to choose the leaders for these posts.

"The decision on this matter will be taken in a day or two," the senior BJP leader said.

Earlier in the day, Rajnath Singh met Bhagwat. However, Singh had described the meeting as "routine, courtesy call" in which no politics was discussed.

"This was a one-to-one meeting between Bhagwat and Advani when the latter gave his reasons for what went wrong
during the elections," RSS leader Ram Madhav told reporters after Advani left.

Madhav said RSS does not believe in interfering in the day-to-day functioning of BJP but was concerned about the long-term plans of the party.

"What RSS expects from the party is that it takes stock of the situation and collective responsibility for
building the party and its policies in future," Madhav said.

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