New Delhi: Senior RSS leader MG Vaidya has suspected that Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi could be behind the campaign against BJP president Nitin Gadkari. Watch: It's my personal stand, says Vaidya l CP Thakur tries to downplay Vaidya's comments l BJP stands behind Modi

Vaidya in his blog on Sunday said: "The roots of the campaign against Nitin Gadkari have to be in Gujarat because when Ram Jethmalani demanded Gadkari's resignation, he also demanded that Narendra Modi be made the prime ministerial candidate of the party."

"Modi himself seems to have strong prime ministerial ambitions because L K Advani and Nitin Gadkari have already said that they are not in the race for the PM. But Narendra Modi has still not said anything on this issue,'' the senior RSS leader alleged.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh went into damage control mode after senior RSS leader MG Vaidya alleged that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was behind the campaign against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari.

Distancing itself from the remark, Sangh’s spokesman Ram Madhav said the views expressed by Vaidya were his personal and do not reflect with the views of the RSS.

Madhav also added that the official statements are made only by those who are in the RSS.

The BJP rejected Vaidya’s claim that  Modi is behind the campaign against party chief Gadkari.

"The BJP completely rejects such insinuations as it is totally unfounded," said party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.  "All leaders and chief ministers have been working cohesively and unitedly for the party. The BJP is firmly behind Narendra Modi," he added.

It is my personal stand: Vaidya

"I was the spokesperson of RSS till 2003 .What I said is personal. A blog was published. I write in Marathi. There is also a provision of its Hindi translation. I don’t know how its Hindi translation has been done. I said that Ram Jethmalani simultaneously asked for the resignation of Nitin Gadkari and also suggested Modi as potential PM. I wrote that. If Ram Jethmalani can keep his stand then even I can. As far as PM candidate is concerned, discussing about it in 2012 is irrelevant. After Gujarat election this decision cannot be taken. What I have told you is my personal opinion and relating it to RSS is wrong."

Earlier, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ram Jethmalani and his son Mahesh had said Gadkari should immediately step down from his post as the charges against him were damaging the party. He claimed to have the support of other senior party leaders like Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha.

Watch: It's my personal stand, says Vaidya l CP Thakur tries to downplay Vaidya's comments l BJP stands behind Modi