Mohan Bhagwat

By R Shankar

The succession process has begun in the BJP. A day after RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat said that the leadership age should be between 50 and 60, the message for Advani was clear and needed no further decoding. Advani is pushing 82 summers. He will have to step down as the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha soon. Not because of his age, but because of the Kandahar ghost and the issues surrounding cash for vote scandal.

Advani in fresh trouble as the stink spreads

The BJP and the RSS are concerned that with so many allegations against Advani, especially the one that he did say a blatant lie to the nation, he will not be able to function as an effective Opposition leader. The ruling Congress will just love to tear him apart and give him back for calling Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the weakest leader in India's democratic history.

Referring to his recent suggestion that a younger leadership take over the reins of the BJP, Bhagwat said in Delhi on Friday: "Fifty to sixty years is the average age for the Sangh leadership and it's for the political party to decide what should be the right age for it."

Advani is likely to be succeeded by Sushma Swaraj who is young and enjoys a clean image. She is also close to Atal Bihari Vajpayee.