Seeking to end the controversy stirred by Atal Bihari Vajpayee over Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's removal, Bharatiya Janata Party president M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said that there was no question of "bypassing" the former prime minister.
"Vajpayee is the tallest leader of the BJP..." Naidu said in Bangalore, adding that the party held him in "high esteem".
"We are a democracy. There may be views. Once a final decision is taken, everybody abides by it," Naidu said, dismissing suggestions that Vajpayee had been "rebuffed" following his remarks on Gujarat.
On Gujarat, Vajpayee had only stated that the "negative and malicious" propaganda of the opposition had impacted the electoral outcome, he said.