Kalyan skips BJP, NDA meets

NEW DELHI, OCT 10: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh was conspicuous by his absence at the BJP and NDA parliamentary party meets held today even as chief ministers from other alliance-ruled states showed up to felicitate Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Tamil nadu, Punjab and Haryana congratulated Vajpayee for being unanimously elected leader of the National Democratic Alliance, which paves the way for his appointment as Prime Minister for the third time.

Although Keshubhai Patel, M Karunanidhi, Om Prakash Chautala and Parkash Singh Badal were present at the meeting, BJP leaders found it quot;strangequot; that Kalyan Singh did not turn up.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister had met Vajpayee on Saturday and quot;acceptedquot; responsibility for the party8217;s poor show in the State, once a BJP stronghold.