Sunday, October 2 2005 16:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Amidst rumblings in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its ties with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the appointment of its next President, Party Chief L K Advani today (Oct 2, 2005) chose to steer clear of any controversy by declining to comment on 'internal matters' of the party.

Advani had called a press conference here to demand a probe into the allegations in the Mitrokhin papers that KGB bribed Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI) and its leaders.

But as the topic of the press meet had not been disclosed in advance, the large posse of mediapersons expected some politically significant remarks from the former Deputy Prime Minister who had, in the recent BJP conclave in Chennai, blasted the RSS for its 'interference' in party matters while announcing that he would step down in December.

However, Advani seemed to have read the minds of the journalists. Even before any question could be put to him on the issue, he said, "Whatever I had to say, I have said in Chennai. I don't have anything more to say on that."

Though the journalists did not give up easily and tried to prod him to comment on the BJP and RSS, Advani merely said, "I would not like to see this important issue (the Mitrokhin allegations) being sidelined because of a certain interest you have been taking in these internal matters."

Advani was flanked at the press conference by senior party leaders Jaswant Singh, Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley.

Jaswant Singh has so far been the only leader to support Advani on the remarks made by him against the RSS at the Chennai conclave.