More than a year after his problems with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani is understood to be upset at the induction of three more pracharaks from the saffron fountainhead into the party.
This was one of the major reasons for his surprise absence at the meeting of the BJP office-bearers on Thursday presided over by party chief Rajnath Singh, who is instrumental in bringing them into the organisation, party sources say.
"He, I believe, is upset," said a senior party leader, who did not want to be named.
"There are now three more RSS pracharaks, something that I believe is the reason for his being upset," the senior party leader said.
The new RSS pracharaks -- Makhan Singh, Rakesh Jain and Ram Lal Agrawal -- along with Rajnath Singh and party general secretary (organisation) Sanjay Joshi instead drove down to Advani's residence on Thursday after the meeting.
The inclusion of more pracharaks is seen as Rajnath Singh's attempts to give a greater role in the party to the RSS, which fell out with Advani in 2005 over his comments on Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
The party on Thursday said the former deputy prime minister did not attend the office-bearers' meeting because of his preoccupation with a foreign delegation from the Maldives.
But insiders say his absence, a rare occurrence in the office-bearers' meeting, had some other reasons also.
"He backed Varun Gandhi's candidancy for Vidisha, but his recommendation was finally vetoed by the party's central election committee in favour of some local candidate," the source said.
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