Jaswant-Advani meet signals thaw?
Even though the two leaders refrained from dwelling, there was nothing to suggest that the relations between them had turned frosty since the core group meeting.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: In a development that hints at a thaw in relations between Leader of the Opposition L K Advani and former Union minister Jaswant Singh, the latter met Mr Advani on Monday to apprise him of the status of post-cyclone Aila relief operations in Darjeeling.
This was Mr Singh���s first meeting with Mr Advani since Wednesday, when he sparked off a furore by circulating a note among the members of the BJP���s core group, seeking a coordination between ``performance������ and ``rewards.������ The note was seen as a direct attack on Mr Advani. The duo are likely to meet again here on Tuesday.
Even though the two leaders refrained from dwelling on organisational matters during Monday���s meeting, there was, according to party sources, nothing to suggest that the relations between them had turned frosty since the core group meeting.
Mr Singh, who was accompanied by a delegation of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders, informed Mr Advani about the outcome of their deliberations earlier in the day with Union home minister P Chidambaram and his Cabinet colleague Sharad Pawar on expediting relief operations inhis parliamentary constituency.
Mr Singh, while speaking to newspersons after meeting Mr Advani, said he had met the latter to apprise him of his talks with Mr Chidambaram, Mr Pawar and the National Disaster Management Authority vice-chairman, General (retd.) N C Vij, on compensation to people affected by the cyclone.
The GJM delegation, in their interaction with Mr Chidambaram, is learnt to have sought to persuade him to send relief material directly to the Darjeeling hill areas, without routing it through the state administration as they were not filtering down.
Mr Chidambaram is learnt to have expressed his inability to comply with this demand as he cited rules to suggest that all relief measures had to be routed through the state government.
Mr Pawar, in his discussions with the GJM delegation, is said to have assured that food grains despatched to the hill areas as part of the relief operations will be in accordance with the ``special treatment������ accorded to the north-eastern regions.
In the north-east, the population is not distinguished along the BPL/APL categorisation. The entire population is, in fact, the beneficiary of foodgrains distributed among them by the Centre. A similar yardstick will be employed for Darjeeling, Mr Pawar assured.
This was Mr Singh���s first meeting with Mr Advani since Wednesday, when he sparked off a furore by circulating a note among the members of the BJP���s core group, seeking a coordination between ``performance������ and ``rewards.������ The note was seen as a direct attack on Mr Advani. The duo are likely to meet again here on Tuesday.
Even though the two leaders refrained from dwelling on organisational matters during Monday���s meeting, there was, according to party sources, nothing to suggest that the relations between them had turned frosty since the core group meeting.
Mr Singh, who was accompanied by a delegation of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders, informed Mr Advani about the outcome of their deliberations earlier in the day with Union home minister P Chidambaram and his Cabinet colleague Sharad Pawar on expediting relief operations inhis parliamentary constituency.
Mr Singh, while speaking to newspersons after meeting Mr Advani, said he had met the latter to apprise him of his talks with Mr Chidambaram, Mr Pawar and the National Disaster Management Authority vice-chairman, General (retd.) N C Vij, on compensation to people affected by the cyclone.
The GJM delegation, in their interaction with Mr Chidambaram, is learnt to have sought to persuade him to send relief material directly to the Darjeeling hill areas, without routing it through the state administration as they were not filtering down.
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Mr Chidambaram is learnt to have expressed his inability to comply with this demand as he cited rules to suggest that all relief measures had to be routed through the state government.
Mr Pawar, in his discussions with the GJM delegation, is said to have assured that food grains despatched to the hill areas as part of the relief operations will be in accordance with the ``special treatment������ accorded to the north-eastern regions.
In the north-east, the population is not distinguished along the BPL/APL categorisation. The entire population is, in fact, the beneficiary of foodgrains distributed among them by the Centre. A similar yardstick will be employed for Darjeeling, Mr Pawar assured.
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