India’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was expected to name an interim party chief yesterday if Lal Krishna Advani remains adamant about his decision to quit the post, officials said.

Advani quit as president of the country’s main opposition party this week after angering key Hindu allies with remarks praising the founder of Islamic Pakistan. Although the BJP has rejected the resignation, he is unlikely to change his mind, a senior party leader told reporters. “Advani-ji feels that the party has not taken a stance on his controversial comments or his trip to Pakistan but has just rejected his resignation. He wants the party to take a stand,” said the leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Some in the party feel he should clarify his remarks but Advani-ji feels there is nothing for him to clarify,” he said.

Advani, deputy prime minister in the BJP-led coalition government which lost power last year, resigned a day after he returned from a visit to Pakistan after hardline Hindu allies demanded he withdraw remarks made there praising Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the father of Pakistan. He had described Jinnah as a “secular” and “outstanding” leader who had made history. Right-wing groups led by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the BJP’s ideological parent, regard Jinnah as a Muslim fundamentalist and blame him for the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.