Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly reached out to senior BJP leader LK Advani who refused to speak at a party conclave in Bengaluru today. Sources have told NDTV that the Prime Minister praised Mr Advani for his guidance to the party at the national executive meeting where the veteran, in a first since the BJP was born 35 years, did not deliver his traditional valedictory address while being present.
Earlier in the day, Mr Advani had turned down party president Amit Shah's request to address the two-day conclave which concluded day.
While his refusal to make a speech is seen as a signal of his deep disillusionment, sources said top leaders were also wary of what the sidelined 87-year-old would say.
These leaders were members of the parliamentary board ever since the party was launched in 1980 and the move was seen as a signal that the Vajpayee-Advani era of the BJP was over.
Those gambles did not pay off - the BJP was trounced in Delhi and is struggling to maintain its partnership with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir - and there is now a question of accountability. Even the party's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has voiced concern.
But Mr Advani, who was once a vocal critic, has lately used silence to show his disapproval. He has attended Parliament every single day, but has never spoken on the floor of the house.
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