Advani

New Delhi, Dec. 17: L.K. Advani has failed to wrest Manmohan Singh’s chair but he may get one similar to Sonia Gandhi’s, at least in name.

The BJP is likely to create a post of parliamentary party chairman for Advani, who is expected to step down as leader of the Lok Sabha Opposition at tomorrow’s parliamentary party meeting that begins at 5.30pm.

Although the new post has no constitutional standing unlike Advani’s current one, some in the BJP suggested his status would be similar to that of Sonia, who heads the Congress parliamentary party while Pranab Mukherjee and Manmohan lead the party in the two Houses.

Besides, Advani’s new post would have a similar ring to Sonia’s. She is chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, holding an unconstitutional post while being the “power behind the throne”.

That’s where the similarity ends, actually, for the BJP has neither power nor throne.

Still, the new post will spare Advani a ride into the sunset. The party will amend its constitution to create it so that the veteran can play a “larger” role in the legislature party made up by MPs from both Houses.

He will continue addressing the meetings of the combined legislature party, as he does now, and perhaps firming up the party’s strategies for both Houses.

Sushma Swaraj, Advani’s likely successor in his current post, and Arun Jaitley, leader of the Rajya Sabha Opposition, are expected to be “answerable and accountable” to him in his new avatar, although a BJP official claimed Advani would only be a “mentor and guide”. Gopinath Munde is likely to be Sushma’s deputy in the Lower House.

Party insiders said Advani’s new post served several purposes. One, it gave him a graceful exit. Two, the RSS could de-couple the party from its legislative arm, exercising complete control over the first while Advani, Sushma, Jaitley and others conducted Opposition affairs in Parliament with a degree of autonomy.

Also, the sources said, with two of Advani’s “Delhi Four” cabal of loyalists ensconced in important Parliament posts, the Sangh hoped its handpicked nominee for party president, Nitin Gadkari, would not need to constantly look over his shoulder.

The scriptwriters believe there will be a chorus of protests when Advani announces his resignation tomorrow. At this point, the MPs will be told that he would continue presiding over them in a “bigger and over-arching” role.

Rule VI (a) of the BJP constitution says that while the two Houses would have separate leaders, the combined legislature party will normally be headed by the Lok Sabha leader with his deputy coming from the “other House”.

This provision will be tweaked to create Advani’s new post. The parliamentary party is empowered to amend the party constitution, after which the parliamentary board can approve it. The amendment does not have to be put before the national council.

The parliamentary board, the BJP’s highest policy-making body, meets on Saturday. Rajnath Singh, whose term as party president ends on December 24, is expected to resign and Gadkari chosen as his successor. Gadkari, who lives in Mumbai, has been asked to come over to Delhi.