BJP, RSS put up strong defence, deny rift within party

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has reiterated that there were no differences within the Bharatiya Janata Party and that its leaders were capable of sorting out differences.

Speaking to rediff.com, RSS spokesman Ram Madhav said that there was no reason for the organisation to interfere in the BJP's affairs.

"If you want to know what the Organiser (party magazine) wrote in favour of Narendra Modi and Kamal Sandesh wrote against him, direct your questions to those who wrote," Madhav said.

"There is no squabbling among party leaders," the party spokesperson Prakash Javdekar told media persons in reference to the attack made on several saffron leaders in the party magazines, Kamal Sandesh, Panchjanya and Organiser.

"They are like any series of newspapers in the country... Every magazine editor got his idea and concept to write freely as newspapers are doing. It is the media which is making their own interpretation from party's magazine(s) ....Ghar ke andar koi ladayee nahin hai (No internal strife in BJP),"

Javdekar said.

He was reacting to the editorial in Kamal Sandesh, which appealed the party leaders to rise above the petty issues of 'self' and 'other' besides that of 'self existence' and come together for the existence of the party.

On the posters of party leader Sanjay Joshi coming up in Ahmedabad, Javdekar said, "I do not see such posters...where are they?"

Though the posters did not name Modi directly, it is apparent that the snub is aimed at the chief minister who had his way in elbowing out Joshi from the BJP national executive held in Mumbai last month.

On BJP president Nitin Gadkari touching the feet of Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Javadekar said, "Gadkari has touched the feet of a sant (Baba Ramdev) not of any rakshasa (demon)... We are not followers of Baba Ramdev or Anna Hazare. Corruption and black money were the issues that BJP had raised years ago".