New Delhi:
A day after his comments fearing a "repeat of the Emergency" provoked opposition barbs at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP leader LK Advani cancelled his meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Sources say Mr Advani's office cited prior engagements and told Mr Kejriwal that he will not be 'free for a week.' The two were to meet this evening.
Mr Kejriwal was among the first to respond to Mr Advani's interview published in The Indian Express on Thursday. "Advani ji is correct in saying that emergency can't be ruled out. Is Delhi their first experiment?" he had tweeted, in an apparent reference to his ugly power tussle with the Centre.
The BJP has denied that the meeting was cancelled due to party displeasure but sources say the party and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were "jittery" about it.
In the interview, Mr Advani had said: "At the present point of time, the forces that can crush democracy, notwithstanding the constitutional and legal safeguards, are stronger... I do not say that the political leadership is not mature. But because of the shortcomings, I don't have the confidence that it (Emergency) cannot happen again."
He was speaking on the 40th anniversary next week of the 1975 Emergency, when the Congress government jailed opposition leaders and imposed severe curbs on the media.
"I do not see any sign in our polity that assures me, any outstanding aspect of leadership. A commitment to democracy and to all other aspects related to democracy is lacking," said the 87-year-old leader.
His comments were seen by rival parties as a dig at PM Modi.
The BJP and RSS both sought to play them down.
"Advani ji was referring to institutions rather than pointing towards any individual," said BJP spokesperson MJ Akbar on Thursday.
"He (Advani) is quite senior in age and experience. So he can talk to Modi. I don't think he intends any message to Modi through the interview," said RSS leader MG Vaidya.