BJP is all set to welcome back into its fold two of its expelled leaders — Jaswant Singh and Uma Bharti, reports The Times of India.
If things turn out according to plan, Singh could be back before the party's national executive scheduled for June 12-13 in Patna and so could Bharti. Of the two, the prospects of Singh's homecoming are stronger with senior partyman L K Advani himself having initiated the process.
In Bharti's case, there is still a hitch because of the state unit's continued opposition to her return. The party unit in her home state, Madhya Pradesh, has still to entirely come around to her return, as there are apprehensions that the former CM may create problems for chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Bharti has been keen to return and resigned from her own party Bharatiya Jan Shakti recently, generating speculation about her return.
While former party chief Rajnath Singh had initiated the move to get her back, new party chief Nitin Gadkari has also been keen on getting most of the leaders who had quit the party to return.
Jaswant Singh, expelled at BJP's chintan baithak in Shimla last year, got a call from Advani two weeks ago to accompany him and some party leaders on the special plane to Jaipur to attend the funeral of former vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. Advani had also called Singh last Diwali to greet him, in keeping with an old habit.
It had been bothering Advani that he had not expressed his view against the ouster, when an overwhelming majority decided to expel Singh for writing in favour of Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Since Singh's attack was mainly against Advani, and not much against the party, Advani himself initiated the rapprochement process.
Since the two had a long political association, Advani suggested that they forget the brief period of animosity and consider it a "bad dream", it is learnt. On his part, Singh too was happy to look at it that way.
