Khurana comes back home to BJP

NEW DELHI: Two years after he quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) openly criticising LK Advani, veteran Delhi leader Madan Lal Khurana was on Friday re-inducted into the party which accepted his written apology and withdrawal of all remarks against the leader, as reported by DNA about a week ago.

The return of the 71-year-old former Delhi chief minister assumes significance as it comes ahead of the assembly elections to be held by November. Terming it “return of the prodigal son”, BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley said, “When an old worker returns to the party, the party gains.”

The party has made no commitment on giving any post to the former Delhi BJP strongman. Khurana, who used to be outspoken, preferred not to say anything immediately. 

The former governor of Rajasthan had criticised Advani in April 2006 over the Kandahar hijack episode and had taken objection to his remarks that the former deputy prime minister had differed with the decision to release terrorists during the hijack crisis. Khurana had remarked that Advani’s comments were aimed at showing himself as a “hero” and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as “zero”.