LK Advani plays Peacemaker to save NDA!

He could be down, but not out. BJP veteran LK Advani, who had to withdraw his resignation under pressure from the RSS, has asserted himself yet again, as he took the lead in talking to JD(U) leaders Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar to urge them not to quit NDA.

Advani stressed on the need for staying united to fight the Congress and give a corruption-free government to the nation. He reportedly asked the JD(U) leaders not to read much into Modi’s elevation, as he was not declared as the PM candidate.

The JD(U) has already made up its mind to break the alliance and dump its 17-year-old ally, as it does not want to work with BJP with Narendra Modi at the helm. The party may take a final decision in 2-3 days. JD(U) is in touch with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Naveen Patnaik’s BJD to explore the possibility of a Third Front or Federal Front.

If Advani manages to defuse the crisis within the NDA and convinces the JD(U) to stay back, he will regain his lost pride and emerge stronger within the NDA, if not within the BJP. And, in all probability, BJP will need the NDA+ in 2014 if it wants to returns to power.