The Advani sopa opera ended in a whimper with the resignation being withdrawn. He pulled the whole gimmick to grow in stature as a national leader. To show that he could say what he wanted, even if it didn't toe the Sangh line. And that if others didn't like it, he would just resign.
By withdrawing the resignation, he has eating one of the biggest humble pies ever. Four days is all it took for him to come running back after no one in the party except for Vajpayee and that Sahib Singh dude, came to his defence very strongly. After resigning in a huff, and making statements like he would not reconsider his decision, it seemed like he was burning his bridges, taking a bold step, breaking a path. Now, he has eaten up his own words, and by doing so, has in fact lost face.
His credibility, never really a strong point, has nose-dived even further, giving his opponents more ammo for their already over-flowing arsenal. I am sure the BJP's rivals are having a hard time figuring out how to deal with all these gifts. It's like bowling several consecutive overs of full tosses and half-volleys.....in the slog overs......after bringing all the fielders in the ring.......and bowling no-balls....
With every passing week, the BJP just adds to this euphemistic list.