LAL Krishna Advani became the first BJP president to attend the prestigious Vijayadashmi rally of the RSS. Advani's presence just a couple of days after he took over as party chief was a clear indication of BJP's attempt to mend fences with its ideological mentor.
Another star attraction was BJP youth leader Varun Gandhi, who became the first member of the Gandhi family to ever attend a saffron rally at the RSS headquarters.
Varun justified his presence at the RSS rally describing the Sangh fountainhead as a nationalist force. He asserted that he would continue to remain in the saffron party.
He denied reports of his talks with Congress president Sonia Gandhi to join the party. To a question whether he would remain with the BJP, which he had joined along with his mother Maneka Gandhi before the Lok Sabha elections, he said, "yes, definitely."
Senior RSS functionary M G Vaidya is seen sitting between Advani and Varun.
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