L K Advani Quits All Posts In BJP

There comes a time when the most legendary gun-swinger has to holster his weapon, and ride off into the sunset. Though L K Advani cannot be described as a cowboy as such, his departure from the BJP was treated with the same sense of shock, and dismay. The former Home Minsster, Deputy Prime Minister, leader of the Opposition, and the inheritor of other similar lists of such titles, has officially resigned from all his previously-occupied posts in the Bharatiya Janata party.

As usual, the gossip mills are furiously churning. One particular story that has been doing more rounds than the others, is that the former BJP stalwart was offended when Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was appointed as the head of BJP's election committee. This decision was taken in the BJP national executive meeting held in Goa on June 7 (at which L K Advani was conspicuous by his absence). Advani later disclosed that a stomach upset had led him to miss the meeting for the first time in his political career (recall that he is 85 years old, and observe a minute's silence to honour his punctuality).

Moving on, it was reported that the BJP President Rajnath Singh called on Advani, at the latter's residence, this afternoon in a (predictably) failed attempt at appeasing the former minister. In his letter of resignation, Advani bemoans that "most leaders of ours are concerned just with their personal agendas".