New Delhi:
In the midst of all speculation over who will succeed Rajnath Singh, RSS on Wednesday came out with a public statement that it was not against four Delhi-based senior BJP leaders who the RSS chief had virtually ruled out as party president.
In a rare statement, RSS All-India Propaganda Chief Manmohan Vaid said, "Reports that the Sangh is against four senior leaders of BJP are completely false. M Venkaiah Naidu, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Ananth Kumar are all senior leaders of BJP and Sangh has had cordial relations with them for a long time."
The statement comes against the backdrop of interviews given by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in which he had indicated that the new party president should be from outside Delhi.
When asked about these four leaders, he had said the BJP had given him such an impression.
The RSS also denied that it had a role in deciding the next BJP president.
"There are false reports in the media regarding the role of the Sangh in deciding the new BJP president. Who will be BJP president will entirely be BJP's own decision," Vaid said, adding, "Sangh has from its side neither suggested anybody's name nor opposed any name for the post of BJP president."
Vaid said Sangh office holders gave their opinion to BJP leaders whenever they sought it but the Sangh did not interfere in the party's decision making.
The statement has come at a time when Rajnath Singh has expressed his desire to step down even before a new president takes over.
Singh had informed BJP's top brass last week of his decision to quit but they and the RSS prevailed upon him to continue till December by when his successor would be formally chosen and elections in Jharkhand would be over, according to a senior party leader.
He said Singh had made up his mind to quit his post about 10 days back, but the party leadership prevailed upon him to continue till December.
"Rajnath Singh was told that one-and-a-half months of his tenure are still left. It was suggested that he could step down a few days before his term ends but doing so now would be too premature. Moreover, his resignation may send a wrong message to the party cadre and the electorate in Jharkhand," the senior leader said.
RSS leaders were also understood to have taken a similar stand and told Singh that though the election of Maharashtra BJP chief Nitin Gadkari to the top post was now a certainty, he should continue for the time being.