Rajnath Singh plays down Advani's veiled attack on Gadkari

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh on Friday played down party veteran Lal Krishna Advani's controversial remarks in his blog, indirectly targeting current president Nitin Gadkari and calling for introspection.

"See, all I want to say is that Advaniji is the seniormost leader of our party and I humbly accept his remarks as a suggestion," he said.

Advani in his blog lamented the decisions taken during the Uttar Pradesh polls and the way the party is handling issues related to corruption.

"I had said at the Core Group meeting that if people are today angry with the UPA government, they are also disappointed with us. The situation, I said, calls for introspection," Advani said in his blog.

"...when these days mediapersons attack the UPA government for its string of scams, at the same time they regret that the BJP led NDA is not rising to the occasion. I, as a former pressman myself, feel they are reflecting public opinion correctly," he said.

Observing that the mood within the party "these days is not upbeat", he said, "The results in Uttar Pradesh (assembly polls), the manner in which the party welcomed BSP Ministers who were removed by Mayawati ji on charges of corruption, the party's handling of Jharkhand and Karnataka all these events have undermined the party's campaign against corruption.

Advani has, however, lauded Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley for their 'wonderful performances' in Parliament.