Yogi Adityanath, a senior leader and public face of the BJP, and Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the ruling party’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, are due to meet this afternoon in Gorakhpur, the latter’s Assembly bastion. The encounter, which insiders refer to as a “courtesy meet” because Mr Bhagwat is in the Chief Minister’s constituency for an unconnected function, is scheduled to take place between 2 and 4 p.m. or after the latter’s visit to the Gorakhnath Temple at 4.15 p.m. When it does happen, it will be accompanied by whispers of a schism between the party and the mentor, which both sides have categorically refuted. The Adityanath-Bhagwat meeting will also take place, as reports emerge of a rift inside the BJP itself.
