Advani in Delhi (PTI)

New Delhi, Aug. 12: The RSS and L.K. Advani have begun to spar openly over supremacy of the BJP.

On Monday, RSS boss Mohan Bhagwat told Advani that he didn’t approve of his decision to continue as leader of Opposition for a full term and that he should pick a successor soon and opt out.

Advani retorted strongly today, saying he intended to stick to the post for the full term. Party sources indicated this might only be the first bout of a long-drawn battle for primacy in the crisis-ridden party.

Although party leaders expressed ignorance about what transpired at the one-to-one meeting between Bhagwat and Advani, they conceded that the information filtering through the ranks indicated the RSS favoured a change at the top. It also disapproved of the BJP leadership’s reluctance to “honestly probe” the reasons for the defeat in the general election and take corrective steps, they said.

But Advani expressed surprise at the speculation on the RSS nudging him to relinquish the post and asserted that he would continue as leader of Opposition for the full five-year term. He told PTI he stood by his statement given to the media a few days ago that he does not do anything reluctantly.

Advani, however, agreed that the statement about his continuing for the full term had been discussed with Bhagwat. He said he told Bhagwat that he was only responding to a question.

But sources said Bhagwat categorically asked Advani to look for a successor. They said the RSS chief made an unscheduled visit to the national capital to meet Advani only because of the confusion created by the statement given by Sushma Swaraj that he was not elected leader of Opposition with a deadline and that he would continue for five years.

Advani, who was present at the media conference, too, had endorsed her contention and said he was continuing on his own volition.

Asked if Bhagwat had told Advani to go, RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said meetings between Sangh and BJP leaders were not unusual but refused to divulge the details.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar also said it was a private meeting between two persons and the party had nothing to comment.

Neither the RSS nor the BJP denied that Bhagwat had desired a change of leadership.