Senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue M.G. Vaidya, who created a controversy by accusing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of running a campaign against BJP president Nitin Gakdari, on Sunday said his target was Ram Jethmalani and not Mr. Modi.
“My target was Ram Jethmalani and not Modi. It’s better that he is silent from last eight days. And for me this topic ends here,” wrote Mr. Vaidya in his latest blog.
‘Comments personal’
“As I have said, my comments were personal and not the RSS opinion. Electronic media, according to its hobbit, gave ‘Bhadkau Roop’ [sensationalism] to my comments and presented it before people,” he said.
On reactions to his controversial comments, Mr. Vaidya wrote, “I got some reactions from some BJP workers and office bearers after my blog was made public last week. They seem to have felt relief rather than being aggravated on my comments. The reactions I received from RSS Swayamsevaks were mixed.”
“I am happy that after my comments, the party [BJP] stood firmly behind Nitin Gadkari. An inquiry is going on over the allegations that have been levelled against him. Let the final result of that inquiry come and then decide on Gadkari’s future. A famous chartered accountant S. Gurumurthy has checked the papers of Gadkari’s company and he found no irregularities in it. But only Mr. Gurumurthy knows the meaning of his ‘Clean Chit’ to Gadkari. And due to my comments, Gadkari is joining Modi in Gujarat election campaign. This shows that Narendra Modi has distanced himself from Jethmalani’s tirade against Gadkari,” wrote Mr. Vaidya, who was the RSS spokesperson till 2003.
