MPs demand Vajpayee's continued leadership for BJP

New Delhi, May 3 (UNI) A demand was aired in the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting today that the party should have continued leadership of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Party sources said a Rajya Sabha MP made the demand at the Parliamentary Party meeting presided over by Mr L K Advani citing newspaper reports that Mr Vajpayee had expressed his intentions to give up active politics.

BJP Parliamentary Party Spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra could not be reached for comments while the confirmation came from the MPs who attended the meeting.

The demand assumes significance in the wake of Mr Vajpayee's reluctance to take part in the ongoing election campaign in Uttar Pradesh and the comments of BJP President Rajnath Singh stating that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani will be the party's ''natural choice'' for prime ministership.

While senior party leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi are unwilling to say anything on the party chief's comments, discontent exists in the party ranks that it was made without discussing it in any decision making party fora like the Parliamentary Board.

Former BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu defended Mr Singh's statement by saying that no discussions were needed on the issue as it was well known that Mr Advani was the natural choice after Mr Vajpayee.

UNI