Advani resists RSS plans for party takeover.

L. K. ADVANI is not to be browbeaten into retirement. The old warhorse is believed to have figured an ingenious method to survive the generational change that the RSS is bent on effecting in the beleaguered BJP. The contours of a brilliant survival strategy that establishes Advani in a slot equivalent to Sonia Gandhi's position in the Congress parliamentary party are now visible.

He is believed to be more focused on becoming the supreme leader of the BJP parliamentary party rather than fading into the sunset as chairman of the National Democratic Alliance ( NDA), a post so far occupied by senior BJP leader and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

So, while Advani has reportedly conceded to the RSS that he would relinquish the post of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha in favour of Sushma Swaraj, the wheels have also been set in motion to amend the BJP parliamentary party constitution.

In the Congress parliamentary party, the chairperson ( at present, Sonia Gandhi) is supreme while there are leaders in both the Houses of Parliament. However, the BJP constitution provides for only two positions -- the leader of the legislature party ( a member of the Lower House) and the deputy leader ( from the Upper House).

Advani, the seniormost BJP member in the Lok Sabha, is the leader of the legislature party.

Since the BJP is also the largest Opposition party, Advani became the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

" If Swaraj has to replace Advani as the Leader of Opposition," a BJP source said, " he has to step down from the post of the leader of the BJP legislature party because, according to the BJP constitution, the legislature party leader is also the leader of the Lower House. Swaraj should be the BJP's leader in the Lower House in order to become the Leader of Opposition." Advani fights back RSS with ' supremo' plan Advani is believed to have anointed Swaraj as his successor, and the belief was that he would resign as leader of the legislature party and let Swaraj take over.

But this is where the script takes a twist.

Sources said intense lobbying has begun in the parliamentary party to amend its constitution to create the post of chairman of the parliamentary party for Advani as well as having a leader each in the Upper and Lower Houses.

In the Congress, Pranab Mukherjee leads the Congress parliamentary party in the Lower House, while Manmohan Singh is the leader of the Upper House. Sonia Gandhi is chairperson of the Congress parliamentary party and the supreme leader. This allows her a seat next to the Prime Minister and Pranab Mukherjee in the front row of the Lok Sabha.

If the new plan is approved, Advani will be chairman of the BJP legislature party, with Swaraj as leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha and Arun Jaitley as leader of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha.

A BJP source said: " This move is aimed at re- establishing Advani's supremacy in the legislature party, and also to ensure parity in the second- rung BJP leadership which will be disturbed if Swaraj takes as over as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha as well as being the leader of the BJP legislature party. With Advani as chairman, both Swaraj and Jaitley are kept reasonably at par." Interestingly, the BJP parliamentary party constitution provides for such a move. The Advani camp does not even have to seek approval of the BJP's national council or its national executive. The amendment can be approved by the parliamentary party itself.

However, there are two problems for Advani -- the RSS and BJP president Rajnath Singh.

The RSS will certainly not approve of this move. Its Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat has already indicated in no uncertain terms that Advani must retain moral authority by not holding on to any post.

Also, Rajnath Singh still has a hold over the procedural aspect of this plan. According to the BJP constitution, for election to the parliamentary party, a general body meeting has to be convened by giving a 15- day notice.

More importantly, the election is to be conducted by a person authorised by the BJP president.

" Advani is not to be outdone by the RSS so easily," a BJP source said. " Even in the face of a public takeover by the Sangh, he has collected his band of followers and will launch a counter- offensive."

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