New Delhi, February 14
The BJP Central leadership and Uttar Pradesh leaders are understood to have agreed in principle to force the state Chief Minister Mayawati to constitute a coordination committee comprising leaders from both the parties to ensure that differences on any issue between the BSP and the BJP could be resolved locally.
The meeting chaired by BJP President Venkaiah Naidu at his residence late this evening was attended by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Union HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, UP Deputy Chief Minister Lalji Tandon, UP BJP unit chief Vinay Katiyar, National General Secretary Rajnath Singh and MP Kalraj Mishra.
The meeting assumes great significance as it is being held in the wake of strident criticism of Chief Minister Mayawati by BJP leaders following the arrest of Independent MLA Raja Bhaiyya under POTA and for the smooth running of the coalition.
Briefing newspersons after nearly one and a half hour meeting, Mr Naidu said several concrete suggestions came forward from the office-bearers of Uttar Pradesh unit and that on the basis of these suggestions party’s Central leadership would hold talks with Ms Mayawati, who will hold meeting with Mr Advani tomorrow.
During today’s meeting the Central leadership, despite expressing concern over the lack of coordination between Ms Mayawati and BJP leaders, wanted the state leaders to ensure that the Mayawati government functioned smoothly, that she should not be made to come to the capital frequently to consult BJP central leadership and state leaders should decide once and for all whether there was any other alternative to the present arrangement, party sources said.
Tomorrow’s meeting to be held at Mr Advani’s residence will be attended by Mr Naidu, Mr Katiyar, Mr Rajnath Singh and Mr Tandon.
The meeting which is the sixth in the last three months between the top BJP leadership and Mayawati, is expected to sort out differences, the sources said.
They said the central leadership was keen to ensure that the BJP-BSP alliance continued till the Lok Sabha elections as the BJP wanted to ensure that the elections were fought together.
