Arun Jaitley met with Murli Manohar Joshi today in New Delhi after BJP veterans issued a joint statement on what they called party's 'disastrous showing' in Bihar. (PTI)
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today visited veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi at the latter's Delhi residence, where a revolt against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah was crafted two days ago in the form of an incendiary joint statement.
Mr Jaitley said his visit to his party colleague's home was "personal".
Mr Joshi is among the four BJP veterans who have attacked the party leadership for its stand of collective responsibility for its humiliating defeat in Bihar this week and have demanded a review and fixing of accountability.
In their scathing joint statement, reportedly drafted in less than 10 minutes after party seniors LK Advani, Yashwant Sinha and Shanta Kumar had reached Dr Joshi's home on Tuesday evening, they said, "The results of Bihar election show that no lesson has been learnt from fiasco in Delhi," and added, "To say everyone is responsible for defeat in Bihar is to ensure no one is held responsible. It shows those who would have appropriated credit are bent on shrugging off responsibility for the disastrous showing in Bihar."
The 80 plus group, all sidelined ever since PM Modi and Amit Shah took charge of the party, have also alleged that, "the party has been emasculated in the last year," and is being "forced to kowtow to a handful."
They have also reportedly rejected a calibrated response aimed at quick damage limitation by the party, which reminded the rebels that one of them, Mr Advani, and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had set the precedent in the party of "collectively taking up responsibility for victories and defeats".
The veterans have said there must be dialogue and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said today, "If our seniors feel that there has to be an assessment then it will be considered. We have started the process of reviewing and analysing Bihar."
He said interactions with the seniors would continue after Diwali, which was celebrated yesterday. "We will learn lessons from Bihar. If they feel more consultation is needed... it can be done," Ram Madhav said.