Two-day BJP Executive Meet begins from May 29

New Delhi, May 28: The two-day BJP National Executive meet, commencing tomorrow, will grapple with a whole lot of issues, including OBC reservation and the performance of the UPA government at the Centre.

The anti-quota agitation, headed by medical and engineering students, has further intensified with a self-immolation bid in the capital yesterday.

The quitting of the two Knowledge Commission members in protest against the government's OBC reservation move is also likely to figure in the deliberations.

The BJP, which has been attempting to strike a balance between the pro and anti-reservationists, would use the opportunity to express its views on the raging controversy.

The party which is supporting reservations like other parties, is of the opinion that nothing should be done to reduce the merit space.

The party would focus its attention on the exemption granted to minority-run institutions in providing reservation for OBCs.

The BJP is against a situation where reservation is applicable in Hindu College and not in St Stephens and Jamia, a top party leader said.

This will be the BJP's first National Executive meet after Mr Rajnath Singh took over as the party president at the end of the National Convention in Mumbai in December last year.

The last two Executives at Guwahati and Ludhiana stood postponed for several reasons.

The BJP will also discuss the strategy to be adopted in the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Gujarat and Punjab, which will go to the polls in the next one year.

An introspection of the BJP's performance in the recently held elections in five states will also take place. The party had little stake in the polls, except in Asom.

The BJP failed to open its account in the Communist bastions of West Bengal and Kerala and failed to make an impact in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry where the party contested the elections alone.

The party, however, improved its presence in Asom marginally.

The meet will discuss issues like membership enrollment and organisational elections which are to be completed by November, among other things, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.

The Executive will also lay stress on the Jammu agitation to be conducted by workers converging from various states to condemn the massacre of Hindu villagers in Doda and other parts of Jammu and Kashmir and the inaction of the state and central governments. While the party will expose the two-year performance of the Manmohan Singh Government ''replete with scams and scandals,'' the task of assessing its own performance in exposing the UPA's failures, both in Parliament and outside, will also come under scrutiny.

This Executive will feel the absence of one of its prominent leaders Pramod Mahajan who died after being shot by his younger brother.

Mr Mahajan had virtually scripted every item of the agenda of the National Executive held at Mumbai to commemorate the Party's Silver Jubilee Plenary.

Adding to the party's woes are the internal problems dogging the state units of Jharkhand and Karnataka where the party is in power in alliance with the JD(U) and JD(S) respectively.

The BJP has suffered an embarassment with its Vice President and former Jharkahand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi resigning from his Lok Sabha seat as well as his primary membership of the party.

The exit of the lone BJP MP from tribal dominated state of Jharkhand has also posed a question mark on the stability of delicately balanced Arjun Munda government.

In Karnataka, the party is facing near rebellion from a former Union Minister Basavaraj Patil Yethnal seeking the removal of Deputy Chief Minister Yediyurappa from the Legislature Party leadership for proposing to make an MLC as a minister disregarding the claims of several senior leaders.

Mr Yethnal, a camp follower of BJP General Secretary Ananth Kumar appears to have little support with the state leaders preferring to rally around Mr Yediyurappa.

The BJP has recently tilted in favour of creating Telangana from Andhra Pradesh after Mr Singh took over. The party which was insisting on a unanimous party resolution from the state Assembly, as a prerequisite for a new state, has now jumped fully onto the Telangana bandwagon.

The party is now organising 'Telangana Betrayal Day' rally at Mehboob Nagar, on June two which Mr Rajnath Singh will be addressing, to highlight how the Congress has betrayed its Telangana poll promise.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh will also be addressing the rally to give the people of Telangana a message on how the BJP implemented its promise of creation of a new state when it were in power at the Centre.

UNI