Anxious to contain “organisational drift,” the RSS and BJP veterans are  engaged in an elaborate consultation exercise to re-orient the party’s political aims, strategies and the leadership in the post-Vajpayee period.

The four-day “Samanvya baithak” at Mumbai is onto a serious “reality check” on the stagnation of the party after the May 2004 Lok Sabha poll debacle. They are also pindering on the recent electoral reverses in the politically key state of Uttar Pradesh.

“Though Vajpayee continues to factor in all the major decisions, the Parivar is looking beyond him and seeks to stabilise the new leadership in the BJP,” sources in the party told Deccan Herald,  without indicating whether Opposition Leader L K Advani would finally step into the shoes of  the former prime minister.

The leadership tussle and dissensions  within the BJP at the Central and state levels,  lack of  ideological clarity and  absence of mass mobilisation programmes are some of the key points which may figure in the meeting. It is being attended by RSS Chief K S Sudarshan his deputy Mohan Bhagwat and representatives from  an array of  RSS outfits.

  The BJP is being represented  by Mr Advani, Party President Rajnath Singh, former BJP presidents Murli Manohar Joshi and  M Venkaiah Naidu and General Secretary Arun Jaitley.

Even as the introspection on the leadership crisis is underway for the second day in Mumbai, doubts were raised on Advani being “the real successor” to Mr Vajpayee.

Former finance minister and BJP Vice-President Yashwant Sinha on Friday sought to say a leader of opposition in India would not necessarily become prime minister when his or her party assumed power.

In a television interview, Mr Sinha cited Congress President Sonia Gandhi as an example, saying she too did not become prime minister, although she was leader of opposition during the NDA rule. 

In the recent past,  Advani had asserted his claim as prime minister-in waiting, quoting the British Parliamentary traditions. The senior BJP leader, aspiring to be the prime minister, had then  also wondered whether he would get full support of Vajpayee in his bid for the top post. Throwing a spanner in Advani’s future plans, Mr Joshi also  sought to say that it was only for the party to decide on the prime ministerial candidate. 

One of the major tasks cut out for the Nagpur outfit is to end growing  confusion in the party on the leadership issue and clear the mushrooming  “power centres” in  the organisation.

“There is no leadership, no cohesive organisational planning and also no emotive issue like Ram temple to emerge as a real challenger to the Congress Party,” sources said. They added that  President Rajnath Singh had not been able to put the stamp of his leadership in the party and was largely guided by Vajpayee.