New Delhi: Adopting a diplomatic stand on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership controversy, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on June 6 said it was for the party to decide whether Atal Behari Vajpayee or L K Advani should lead it in the next elections and asserted that both leaders were "equal and close" to Sangh.

"It is for the party to decide. Both (Vajpayee and Advani) are Swayamsewaks (RSS volunteers). Both are equal and both are close to us," Sangh Spokesman Ram Madhav said when asked whether RSS agreed with the Prime Minister's cryptic statement that Advani would lead the party to victory.

Claiming there was no confusion within the BJP on the issue, Madhav said, "they are our people. They will take a good decision. We may differ in identity and articulation but the vision and ideology remains the same."

Asked whether RSS would like to see Advani as Prime Minister since it had "helped" him in becoming Deputy Prime Minister, the spokesman said, "We have been assisting both."

"The party will decide. The party has made it clear Vajpayee would be its leader for next five years. We don't have any objection," Ram Madhav said.

To a question about the titles 'Vikas Purush' and "Lauh Purush' given by the party to Vajpayee and Advani respectively he said, "while Advani has been known as Lauh Purush for the past 10 years, Vajpayee is known as 'Vikas Purush' since past five years as he could carry out development after becoming Prime Minister."

Madhav, however, quickly added that Vajpayee was known for his liberal image for the past 50 years.

PTI