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No chance of ego clash with Naidu: Mahajan
Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi |
January 31, 2003 05:20 IST
Newly-appointed Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Pramod Mahajan on Thursday ruled out any possibility of an ego clash with party chief M Venkaiah Naidu to whom he would be reporting.
Mahajan has been asked to serve as the secretary and spokesman of the party's parliamentary board and its central election committee.
Ever since he was dropped from the Union Cabinet, there has been speculation about an impending and acrimonious tussle between BJP chief M Venkaiah Naidu and Mahajan.
The former Union minister who has held the portfolios of Defence, Information and Broadcasting, Information Technology and Communication is much senior to Naidu and enjoys the reputation of being a go-getter, whether in the government or in the party.
Mahajan himself pointed out that he served as BJP national general secretary in 1985, indicating the vast gap between him and Naidu.
But the BJP chief is no pushover and had a distinguished stint as the party's spokesperson, which got him a Cabinet berth.
When it was noticed that the party was suffering as its most talented activists were serving in the government, he and Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley were drafted back into the party.
At that time, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani was believed to have pushed Naidu's name for the top party post over that of several others, including Mahajan.
"There is no question of seniority or juniority in politics. All party functionaries have to report to the party chief," Mahajan insisted on Thursday.