New Delhi: With the verdict on the Ayodhya
title suit expected later this month, BJP Friday decided to postpone its National Executive meeting slated to begin from September 17 in Jammu.
Party sources said the meeting is now likely to be held
in October.
The decision to defer the meet mainly on the ground that
the court verdict in the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Mosque title
suit may overshadow the conclave, they said, after a meeting
of the BJP Core Group.
A section of senior BJP and RSS leaders are reportedly
of the opinion that the party leadership being engaged in a
national conclave at the time of the court verdict would not
be a wise decision.
Not only would the verdict- even it goes in favour of
BJP's stand on the issue- derail the national executive as all
the focus would shift to the Ayodhya issue, it would also
require senior BJP leaders to espouse the party's cause in
public, the sources said.
However, a senior leader said the postponement was due to
the inability of the party's Jammu unit to make arrangements
for the meet at such a short notice.
Asked why the venue was not shifted to Delhi, he was
evasive. New Delhi was the venue earlier for the conclave
which was later shifted to Jammu.
Another leader said with increase in the strength of the
National Executive, a larger auditorium was required to
accomodate the members and this could not be arranged in
Jammu. Security reasons were also being cited as possible
reasons for the postponement.
BJP holds its National Executive every three months with
New Delhi usually being the favourite venue for every
alternate conclave. The last National Executive meeting was
held in Patna on June 12-13.
PTI
First Published: Friday, September 03, 2010, 19:15