Top leaders not sidelined, says Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu
Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi were removed from the BJP’s parliamentary board
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-08-28 05:36 GMT
Kochi: Endorsing the decision to remove senior leaders like L.K. Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi from the BJP’s parliamentary board, Union Minister for Urban Affairs and former BJP president Venkaiah Naidu said that the founder leaders of the party were not being sidelined. “Reports about senior leaders like Advaniji and Joshiji being sidelined or ignored are baseless,” Mr. Naidu told reporters in Kochi on Wednesday.
In response to questions from mediapersons, Mr. Naidu said, “we are a democratic party and a new generation of leaders is given an opportunity to come up to the leadership levels. That does not mean others are sidelined or ignored,” he said.
Mr Advani and Mr Joshi were removed from the parliamentary board, the all-powerful decision-making body of the party, along with former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Tuesday. While Mr Vajpayee is ill, the others were dropped due to old age. Mr. Naidu also said that bringing leaders of the party from Kerala to the national leadership was under the consideration of the party.