An immediate solution to stem mounting dissidence within the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat appeared unlikely as party chief Rajnath Singh held a key meeting with a senior state leader opposed to Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley, the party's election strategist for Gujarat, drove down to Rajnath Singh's residence with senior leader Suresh Mehta, a day after Modi loyalists Purshottam Rupala and Amit Shah rallied support for the chief minister from different quarters of the Sangh Parivar.
"The stalemate continues," a BJP source said after Mehta's almost hour-long meeting with Rajnath Singh.
Mehta, who opposes Modi for his style of functioning, met Rajnath Singh after former minister Kashiram Rana, another detractor of the chief minister, had held discussions with Jaitley last week.
"He (Mehta) put forth his grievances before the party president," a BJP functionary said.
Under fire for its handling of the saffron party's election campaign in Uttar Pradesh and party affairs in general, the Rajnath camp is treading cautiously in dealing with critics of Modi from within the BJP.
"The party leadership will act as per the assessment and recommendation of the state unit," a BJP source said.
Last month, Rajnath Singh suspended five of his party's anti-Modi MLAs from Gujarat before the party set in motion a reconciliation process with Modi's detractors.
On Tuesday, Rupala and Shah met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Mohan Bhagwat in the wake of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia's reported comments that his organisation would not support Modi, the BJP's Hindutva icon, in the state elections.
