PTI
 
New Delhi, Apr 4: Two years after he quit BJP openly criticising L K Advani, veteran Delhi leader Madan Lal Khurana was on Friday re-inducted into the party after he expressed "regret" for his comments against the leader.

The re-entry of the 71-year-old former Delhi Chief Minister assumes significance as it comes ahead of the Assembly elections to be held by November.

BJP President Rajnath Singh re-inducted Khurana after days of secret parleys. The move is expected to re-energise the party in Delhi as he has considerable following in the Punjabi community of the Capital.

"He (Khurana) has written a letter withdrawing his comments against the party and expressing regret over his remarks," a party leader said.

The party, however, has made no commitment on giving any post to the former Delhi BJP strongman.

Khurana refused to give any reaction immediately, saying he would speak on it later.

Khurana, who was also former Governor of Rajasthan, had severely criticised Advani in April 2006 over the Kandahar hijack episode and asserted that he could not work with him.

He had taken objection to Advani's 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".

Interestingly, his re-entry comes at a time when the Kandahar issue has returned to haunt the BJP and Advani.