Advani meets PM, Sonia on Holi

New Delhi, Mar 22 (UNI) BJP Prime Ministerial candidate for the next Lok Sabha election L K Advani today took the occasion of Holi as an opportunity to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in an effort to build up good level of communication between the two principle parties of the country.

Accompanied by his wife Ms Kamla Advani, Mr Advani's meeting with both the leaders lasted 15 minutes each and he is understood to have gifted them his recently released memoir "My country, my life".

The meetings assume significance in view of Mr Advani expressing the need for inter-party dialogue among major political parties on national issues.

Sources said the BJP leader took the initiative for achieving this goal and the meeting the first in recent times.

Commenting on the significance of the meeting, BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said, ''it was a courtesy meeting on the occasion of Holi and nothing more.'' Meanwhile, Mr Advani said in an interview that in his recently released memoir he had mentioned the need for improved communications between major political parties, who should consider themselves as political adversaries and not enemies in view of their shrinking base and losing out to regional outfits.

He said he had extended invitations to Ms Gandhi and other functionaries of the UPA government for his book release but none of them, excepting Defence Minister A K Antony, had acknowledged the same.

However, Union Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar had attended the book release.

Asked if he had telephoned them, Mr Advani said, ''I could have but I did not, considering the response I was likely to get.'' He conceded that, ''The level of conmmunication with the Congress president was not as per expectations'' and wished things would change for better as such liaisons were likely to have an impact on the Prime Minister also.

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