Asserting that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has not asked Bharatiya Janata Party president Lal Kishenchand Advani to step down for "ideological deviation", the party on Tuesday declared he would complete his full term.
"Not even once was Advani told to step down and there is no confusion or controversy in the Parivar or Party in this regard," Party spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said a day after RSS top brass met Advani, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and senior BJP leaders.
The RSS has been at loggerheads with Advani ever since he praised Jinnah as a secular leader during his recent Pakistan visit.
Swaraj, however, said the RSS leadership stressed on "ideological firmness" and that the conduct, behaviour and raising of issues should not be out of tune with the Sangh ideology.
"They did not ask for Advaniji's resignation. They also did not talk about one-man, one-post during the talks we had for more than an hour," Swaraj said after a meeting of central office-bearers.
She said such speculation was being highlighted only in the media.
The meeting was attended among others by BJP vice president M Venkaiah Naidu, party general secretaries Pramod Mahajan, Rajnath Singh, Anant Kumar, Bal Apte and V K Malhotra.
RSS sources had suggested that their top brass conveyed to Advani that his continuation as party president was untenable in view of his controversial remarks on Jinnah and other issues in Pakistan "which had confused the cadres".