The BJP said today the Congress’ insistence on Sonia Gandhi leading an alternative coalition at the Centre may prompt parties like the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to stay out of the proposed alliance. Reacting to the Congress resolution at the Manthan Shivir in Shimla, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said the latest Congress stand on coalition may create problems for the Congress-led government in Maharashtra. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who had parted company with Sonia Gandhi on the foreign origin issue, may opt out of the alliance. Javadekar claimed the Congress was copying the BJP. He said: ‘‘We organised a chintan shivir and they followed us with a manthan shivir. We forged the NDA and successfully ran a government. Now, they are also trying to forge an alliance, little realising that they do not have a leader like Atalji (PM A.B. Vajpayee).’’ The BJP spokesman said the Congress swing from ‘‘Akela chalo’’ of Pachmarhi to ‘‘a coalition under Sonia’’ within five years at Shimla smacks of opportunism. While replying to questions later, he said the ‘‘BJP will welcome any initiative by anyone to resolve the Ayodhya issue’’. He claimed the Kanchi Shankaracharya took the initiative on his own. ‘‘However, he had our support,’’ he added. ‘Routine’ meet scans RSS, BJP tiffExpress News Service Chennai, July 9: A crucial two-day meeting of RSS and BJP leaders began at the RSS’ Tamil Nadu headquarters at Chetpet here today. However, the leaders of the two outfits sought to downplay the significance of the session, saying it was a routine, annual affair. The interaction comes close on the heels of the RSS’ national executive committee meet in Kanyakumari last Saturday and Sunday. The RSS, it is learnt, would be taking up the issue of the deteriorating relations between the BJP and the VHP over Ayodhya. RSS sarsanghchalak K.S. Sudharsan, who returned to Delhi after the Kanyakumari meet, is expected to attend the RSS-BJP coordination meet on Thursday, where, it is believed, all contentious issues confronting the BJP would be discussed. Among the 30-odd leaders attending the Chennai meet are RSS sarkaryavah Mohan Bhagawat, RSS saha sarkaryavah Madandas Devi, BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu, general secretaries Pramod Mahajan and Sanjay Joshi. Interestingly though, the VHP has not been invited for the meet. Those attending are only the regional heads of the RSS, sources said.
