NE situation to figure in BJP meet

NEW DELHI, January 3: The two-day national executive meeting of BJP is likely to discuss the situation in Northeast, developments in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the extension of ceasefire and the impact of the WTO agreement on agricultural sector, reports PTI. The executive meet which beings here tomorrow would discuss internal security with special reference to peace initiatives in Kashmir and the militant violence in the Northeast States especially in Assam, party vice president Jana Krishnamurthy told reporters here today. 'The party is one with the Government on the ceasefire decision. At the same time, the party has said that though there may not be proactive steps but there must not be relaxation in reaction to terrorist action," party president Bangaru Laxman said. It would also discuss in detail the problems faced by the farmers in the wake of allegations that there were indiscriminate import of agricultural produce and lack of minimum support price for them. The BJP on the eve of its national executive meet dismissed as mere speculation that differences were cropping up between the party and the Government on the crucial Ayodhya issue. "Our stand is the same as that of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Ayodhya. So, where is the controversy?" party president Bangaru Laxman asserted, endorsing Vajpayee's views on the Ram Temple issue. The issue, he indicated, is likely to dominate the discussion in the meeting tomorrow where the leadership will, among other things, also discuss threadbare the party's strategy for the coming state assembly elections and its stance on the Kashmir ceasefire. Two days ago, in an apparent warning to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Vajpayee had said that the Government would not remain a silent spectator if any organisation made an attempt to disturb the present status quo at the disputed site in Ayodhya. Carrying forward Vajpayee's stance on the issue, Laxman also urged the VHP to reconsider its decision on temple construction.