Friday, July 1 2005 15:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Under attack from the Sangh Parivar over "misleading" (Bharatiya Janata Party) BJP president L K Advani during his controversial Pakistan visit, party national secretary Sudheendra Kulkarni has offered to step down from the post.

In a strongly worded letter to Advani, sent on June 24, the former journalist stressed on the need to "recast BJP-RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) ties" and said the Sangh should not be seen as "micro-managing" the affairs of the party, party sources said.

People of India do not like to see their leaders remote controlled by an external entity, he said in the two-page letter.

Hitting out at VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad), which had openly attacked him, Kulkarni accused the extremist elements in the outfit of derailing the Hindu movement, the sources said.

Offering to step down, "If that is what my seniors want", Kulkarni said he was willing to work with Advani as an ordinary worker, they added.