Saturday, April 30 2005 11:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Rampur (UP): Close on the heels of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief K S Sudarshan's controversial remarks on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) top brass, party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has announced that a second-rung leader would head the party in the next general elections.

"The guidance and leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani have always been there and would continue and a leader from the second generation would lead the party in the next Lok Sabha elections," he told reporters on the sidelines of a 'Janpanchayat' organised by him at Bilaspur village, about 40 km from Rampur, yesterday (Apr 29, 2005).

Naqvi was responding to a question on Sudarshan's remarks that Vajpayee and Advani should pave the way for the second-generation leadership.

Another party vice-president Bal Apte was also present on the occasion.

Asked who among the second rung leaders would lead the party, Naqvi said, "We have a capable and acceptable second rung leadership who have all been created and developed by Vajpayee and Advani. So there is no vacuum."

Asserting that both the Sangh Parivar and BJP were "made for each other", he said, "The next elections would be a struggle between the Nehru-Gandhi Parivar and Sangh Parivar, between dynastic politics and nationalism."

Naqvi termed the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in UP as "confused" and said, "On the one hand they accuse Centre of tapping telephones and on the other, they support United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government. This reflects a hypocritical attitude, which has eroded the party's credibility." He dared the SP to withdraw support to UPA "if it meant business".