MM Joshi asks RSS to ensure senior BJP leaders are given decent posts in new government

MUMBAI: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi has reportedly asked RSS to ensure that veteran leaders of the party are given respectable positions in a NDA government that Narendra Modi could lead.

Joshi had a meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur and stressed on this demand on Wednesday, according to PTI.

A senior functionary at the RSS headquarters confirmed the meetings to ET.

Murli Manohar Joshi and Subramanian Swamy held separate meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at the organisation's Nagpur headquarter on Wednesday afternoon.

Joshi had taken prior appointment, but in case Swamy's case, the appointment was fixed on Wednesday morning. Joshi spoke with Bhagwat for about 20 minutes. After the meeting, Joshi left for Delhi without disclosing anything about the meeting to anyone at the RSS headquarters.

However, a source said Joshi spoke in favour of BJP veterans including LK Advani who have been apparently sidelined by the Modi-led leadership and insisted that RSS should pressure Modi to ensure that veteran leaders were given respectable positions in a possible NDA government.

Joshi had to vacate his Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for Modi and had to move to Kanpur.

Jaswant Singh wanted to contest Lok Sabha polls from Barmer in Rajasthan, his party denied him a ticket. It saw him contesting the polls as an Independent and his expulsion from BJP. Similarly, Advani was asked to contest from his traditional Gandhinagar seat in Gujarat, against his reported desire to shift to Bhopal.

According to PTI, Joshi interacted with Bhagwat in presence of RSS liaison man in Bharatiya Janata Party, Suresh Soni.

Joshi discussed several issues, including seats Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies were likely to win, a source said.

Joshi told Bhagwat that position of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders should be maintained by the new leadership, considering their contribution to the party, if BJP comes to power.