Tuesday, December 27 2005 20:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Dec 27, 2005) ruled out its chief L K Advani exiting as the Leader of the Opposition but said it has accepted his desire to step down from the top organizational post.

Media reports quoting party sources that there was a pressure on Advani to quit the opposition leader's post were 'speculative and baseless', BJP Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here.

"There is no question (of asking Advani to step down as opposition leader) and no need for discussion. He will continue as leader of the opposition", he said.

"When, how and who will be the next BJP president would be clear on December 31", Naidu said, adding "the process for consultation is on".

Advani is scheduled to address a press conference here on December 31 when he is expected to announce his decision to formally step down as party chief.

Former UP chief minister Rajnath Singh, who is tipped to take over from Advani, sat beside Naidu at the press conference today. He refused to answer any query.

Replying to a query on Uma Bharti's expulsion from the party against the backdrop of reports that Vajpayee and some other leaders did not favour the action, Naidu said, "all decisions taken by the party are collective. The team meets, discusses, debates and then decides".

Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh told reporters that no dual standards were adopted by the party in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on the issue of BJP MPs caught accepting cash on camera in the cash-for-query scam. "There is no difference in our stand in both the Houses", Singh said when asked if party members were unhappy with Advani's stand in Lok Sabha on the issue where BJP MPs staged a walkout before voting on the resolution expelling the 11 members.

Asked if BJP believes that taking money for asking question in Parliament was "an act of stupidity and not an act of crime", Jaswant Singh said, "to accept money to ask questions is wrong and a corrupt act. But to do it in the manner they (the tainted MPs) did it and without due regard to the sanctity of Parliament is stupidity".