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BJP pushes take-it-easy policy

The Bharatiya Janata Party today appealed to its allies to exercise restraint on airing contentious issues publicly, as it was eroding the image and credibility of the coalition government.

Talking to newspersons, party vice-president K L Sharma urged them to bring all their issues to the coordination committee for an amicable solution. The committee which drafted the national agenda for governance, would now work as the coordination committee.

He hoped that the coordination committee headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, would be able to establish better understanding among the BJP and its allies.

Referring to recent incidents where leaders of a few of the supporting parties and ministers made public statements and counter-statements against each other, Sharma said they could raise these issues at the forum, in Cabinet and even approach the prime minister for a solution.

He, however, remained vague on whether Dr Subramanian Swamy would be a member of the coordination committee and when its first meeting would be held. He said as the party's national council meeting was being held at Gandhinagar on May 3 and 4, it was more likely that the coordination committee would meet for the first time after the BJP national convention, he added.

UNI

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