- News>
- India
PM to have his say in `Chintan Baithak`
Mumbai, June 18: Setting eyes on an emphatic majority for BJP and a two-thirds mandate for NDA in next Lok Sabha elections, the BJP`s brainstorming session (Chintan Baithak) began last night in nearby Thane district of Maharashtra to prepare the ground work for the exercise with the arrival of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Mumbai, June 18: Setting eyes on an emphatic majority for BJP and a two-thirds mandate for NDA in next Lok Sabha elections, the BJP's brainstorming session (Chintan Baithak) began last night in nearby Thane district of Maharashtra to
prepare the ground work for the exercise with the arrival of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Vajpayee, who arrived here from Jabalpur after addressing a rally in Chattisgarh, drove straight to Rambhau Mhalgi Prabhodini, the venue for the four-day meeting.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver the inaugural speech today at 10 am at the meeting which will focus on ‘Mission 2004’ for a stronger mandate for BJP.
Vajpayee will leave the meeting a day earlier as he has to visit China on June 22 on an official visit. Deputy prime minister L K Advani is slated to arrive here today midnight, BJP sources said.
The meet would chalk out strategies to prepare for the next general elections with a view to getting BJP a clear majority and two-thirds mandate for the NDA. The meeting would also introspect on BJP's electoral performance since 1998.
The party is holding ‘Chintan Shibir’ after a gap of eight years. Such a convention was held in suburban Virar in 1995.
Ahead of the start of the "Chintan Baithak," BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan told reporters that "all issues will be related to electoral success and discussed threadbare at the meeting."
Mahajan made it clear that the BJP would contest the next elections as part of the NDA. Asked about the separate manifesto of BJP for 2004 elections, he said "we may discuss the issue but the decision will be taken by the party."
He said the meeting will focus on aggressive and acceptable portrayal of the party for next year's crucial polls.
To a question on holding discussions about BJP's allies, Mahajan said "We will discuss how to rope in more friends and the issue of deserting existing ones does not arise."
The matter concerning assembly elections in five states would not be discussed at the meeting.
Among those who will attend the conclave are the party president Venkaiah Naidu, union ministers Murli Manohar Joshi, Jaswant Singh, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh, Anant Kumar and Shahnavaz Hussain.
Besides, three Chief Ministers, Narendra Modi, Manohar Parrikar and Arjun Munda would also participate. Among the party office bearers to join the session are Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Sanjay Joshi, Bal Apte, Anita Arya, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Gopinath Munde and Pramod Mahajan.
Bureau Report
Vajpayee, who arrived here from Jabalpur after addressing a rally in Chattisgarh, drove straight to Rambhau Mhalgi Prabhodini, the venue for the four-day meeting.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver the inaugural speech today at 10 am at the meeting which will focus on ‘Mission 2004’ for a stronger mandate for BJP.
Vajpayee will leave the meeting a day earlier as he has to visit China on June 22 on an official visit. Deputy prime minister L K Advani is slated to arrive here today midnight, BJP sources said.
The meet would chalk out strategies to prepare for the next general elections with a view to getting BJP a clear majority and two-thirds mandate for the NDA. The meeting would also introspect on BJP's electoral performance since 1998.
The party is holding ‘Chintan Shibir’ after a gap of eight years. Such a convention was held in suburban Virar in 1995.
Ahead of the start of the "Chintan Baithak," BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan told reporters that "all issues will be related to electoral success and discussed threadbare at the meeting."
Mahajan made it clear that the BJP would contest the next elections as part of the NDA. Asked about the separate manifesto of BJP for 2004 elections, he said "we may discuss the issue but the decision will be taken by the party."
He said the meeting will focus on aggressive and acceptable portrayal of the party for next year's crucial polls.
To a question on holding discussions about BJP's allies, Mahajan said "We will discuss how to rope in more friends and the issue of deserting existing ones does not arise."
The matter concerning assembly elections in five states would not be discussed at the meeting.
Among those who will attend the conclave are the party president Venkaiah Naidu, union ministers Murli Manohar Joshi, Jaswant Singh, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh, Anant Kumar and Shahnavaz Hussain.
Besides, three Chief Ministers, Narendra Modi, Manohar Parrikar and Arjun Munda would also participate. Among the party office bearers to join the session are Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Sanjay Joshi, Bal Apte, Anita Arya, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Gopinath Munde and Pramod Mahajan.
Bureau Report