Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader L K Advani has told party leaders that he does not want to continue as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha for the next five years, senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday.
In the midst of raging speculation over who will be the BJP's new president and the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Naidu came out with a public statement, saying the party is keen to have Advani's leadership and guidance and will go by his choice about the time and the person to succeed him.
He said Advani was elected leader of the party for the 15th Lok Sabha in spite of his reluctance.
"He told us that he does not want to continue till the tenure of the 15th Lok Sabha and would like to hand over the responsibility to some other colleague," Naidu said.
Sushma Swaraj, deputy leader of the party in Lok Sabha, said on Thursday that she would prefer to succeed Advani and that was why she had declined the offer of president ship of the party.
He also dismissed as incorrect reports that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has set a deadline for Advani to quit his post in the Lok Sabha.
Naidu referred to media reports that the RSS has chosen the next president of BJP and that it had objected to some leaders, including him, occupying that post.
Naidu said, "I would like to state that I have already conveyed to my colleagues that I am neither in the race nor interested to become president once again. The party had given me that opportunity at the age of 52 years."
He said the BJP and the RSS do share an ideological bond. But structurally and functionally, both were independent and autonomous. The same has been repeatedly emphasised at the highest level by the RSS as well as the BJP, he said.
He said both organisations discussed matters of mutual and national interest and unless asked for, the RSS never proffered any advice to the BJP.
On speculation about the post of the party president, Naidu said various names are being discussed and no particular name has been suggested or rejected by the RSS. No name has been finalised by the party so far, he added.
"The process of consultation is on and there will be an unanimous choice of the next president at an appropriate time," Naidu said.
He said media speculations, including the one claiming that the RSS has assumed charge of the BJP, has adversely affected the party.
