New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) The Congress Saturday described the change of guard in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an internal matter of the party, while the Left said it ‘doesn’t mean there will be any changes in its policies’.
The BJP, which suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha polls this year and the assembly elections held in some states, has gone in for a generational change in its leadership, choosing younger leaders.
The main opposition party Friday appointed Sushma Swaraj as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, replacing L.K. Advani. The party also got a new president with its Maharashtra unit chief Nitin Gadkari taking over from Rajnath Singh Saturday.
Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said the party had nothing to comment on the developments.
‘That is their internal matter,’ he said.
‘We don’t think there will be any changes in its policies,’ said M.K. Pandhe, politburo member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
He said the ‘basic policies of the BJP’ are dictated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
‘Advani, Sushma and Gadkari are individuals guided by the RSS,’ he told IANS.
The CPI-M leader said the RSS removed Advani from the Leader of Opposition’s post as it found him ‘inconvenient.’
‘Gadkari was appointed as BJP president by RSS. Advani was appointed as the party’s parliamentary party chairman by the RSS. They also appointed Sushma Swaraj as Leader of Opposition. The RSS is guiding them,’ he maintained.
