New Delhi: Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh met on Thursday to discuss better coordination between the Sangh and the BJP in the run-up to the next general elections. This was their first meeting after Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's anointment as poll campaign panel chief and senior leader LK Advani's rebellion.
During the meeting, pressing issues confronting the nation, including the poor economic situation and concerns over internal security, were also understood to have been discussed.
BJP President Rajnath Singh said no political discussion, including the contentious issue of deciding the party's Prime Ministerial candidate for the next elections, took place at the meeting, amid speculation that the leaders discussed the formulation of a political strategy.
"During the meeting, important economic, social and national issues like that of security were discussed. No political issues were discussed," Singh told reporters after attending the meeting.
BJP's election campaign committee chief Narendra Modi, leaders of opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, party's general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal and secretary V Satish were among the others who attended the meeting.
Among the RSS leaders who were at the meeting were its general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi, joint general secretary Suresh Soni, besides Dattatray Hosbole and Krishan Gopal.
Senior party leaders Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were not present at the meeting and Singh said the two could not attend due to their prior commitments. Sources said the meeting discussed that there should be improved coordination between BJP and RSS to ensure that the party's ideological fountain-head should play a bigger role in guiding the party to victory in next general elections.
The Sangh is also keen that other Hindu outfits like VHP and Bajrang Dal are more actively involved during the election process in helping BJP improve its electoral prospects by reaching out to different sections of society.
Asked about any political discussions including that on BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, the BJP chief said "we keep holding such meetings every 3-4 months...Whenever such a meeting is held, we do not hold political discussions."
Rajnath Singh said concerns have been raised over the economic crisis gripping the country as well as on the internal and external security front. On the current economic crisis and concerns over the security issue, he said, "we want the whole nation to support us on this".
"We discussed today what our role should be in such a situation," he said.
To a question on whether the issue of BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate was discussed, Singh said no such discussion took place. "Whenever any decision on the issue has to be taken, the BJP Parliamentary Board will discuss it," he said.
With Additional Inputs From PTI
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