New Delhi, Aug 16: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who has given a notice of no-confidence motion against the Vajpayee government, today held consultations with senior party leaders to finalise the strategy in Lok Sabha where the motion would be taken up on Monday. The meeting convened by Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, was attended among others by Arjun Singh, Shivraj Patil, Ambika Soni, Buta Singh, Ahmed Patel, Priyaranjan Dasmunsi and S Jaipal Reddy.
Before the meeting began, Dasmunsi, who is the chief whip in Lok Sabha, said, "We are meeting to fianlise the party's strategy."
Meanwhile, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is holding a meeting of its leaders to chart out their strategy during the Congress-sponsored no-confidence motion on August 18 and demonstrate the coalition's strength in the Lok Sabha.
The meeting, at the residence of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is strategically vital as the defeat of the motion in Parliament appears to be a foregone conclusion going by the strength of the NDA parties and the Opposition. Bureau Report