Date:19/07/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/07/19/stories/2005071912720100.htm

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BJP puts off Chennai meet

Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party has postponed its national executive committee meeting, scheduled to be held in Chennai from July 21-23, to September 16-18 even as it became evident that some kind of a temporary ceasefire was worked out between the top leaders of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh over the Advani issue.

The party's Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, V.K. Malhotra, announced that the September meeting would be held under Mr. Advani's chairmanship and that he would continue to occupy both positions — BJP president and Leader of the Opposition.

Party spokesman Prakash Javadekar said: "Nothing will happen for six months." This was seen as a reprieve for Mr. Advani till the national council session in December.

RSS spokesman Ram Madhav said: "Some understanding has been reached. We expect the BJP to move in that direction." RSS sources hinted that this was not an open general licence for the BJP or its president although a ceasefire had been worked out. The BJP agreed with RSS Sarkaryawah Mohan Bhagwat, at Sunday's meeting with Mr. Advani and other BJP leaders, on a "road map" for remaining on the path of ideological correctness and for generational change in its leadership.

The decision to reschedule the Chennai meet was taken at a one-hour meeting held at the residence of National Democratic Alliance chairman Atal Bihari Vajpayee here, after a majority of the senior leaders felt that it would serve no useful purpose at this juncture when the standoff between Mr. Advani and the RSS was fresh in memory.