BJP meet on Aug. 3

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 9. The national executive committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will now be held from August 3 to 5 in Amritsar.

The busy schedule of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister during July - the Indo-Pakistan summit talks are taking place between July 14 and 16 and the monsoon session of Parliament is scheduled to begin on July 23 - have been cited as reasons for the postponement. Earlier the executive meeting was scheduled to start on July 18.

Party leaders have indicated that a resolution or statement to be adopted at the meeting will focus on the results of the summit and would also cover the recent developments in Nepal.

The party is also planning to adopt a detailed economic resolution addressing the concerns of farmers, small scale industries and others arising out of India's obligations flowing from the World Trade Organisation.

A meeting of the BJP Chief Ministers planned for tomorrow - where the Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, and the party's economic cell members will also be present - is seen as a preparatory meeting to help the party formulate its views on key economic issues after getting reports on the ground situation from the Chief Ministers.

The party is especially worried about the political impact of the lower growth rate last year and the general slow down of the economy.

There will also be the usual political resolution which will look at the general situation - the Tamil Nadu events could find a mention here.

But more specifically the party is looking ahead at the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab early next year, and the executive meeting could be used by the party to strengthen ties with the Akali Dal.

The Akali leaders will be invited to address the public rally planned for the occasion along with the Prime Minister and other senior BJP leaders, a senior party leader said.

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