In a conciliatory tone, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday night said his government was prepared to discuss all issues, including Ayodhya, in Parliament during the Budget session commencing on Monday and sought constructive cooperation from the opposition though the ruling NDA was also prepared to face an onslaught.

"We will adopt a positive and constructive approach to enable us to meet the aspirations of the people," he told a meeting of the NDA Coordination Committee at his residence in Delhi.

Briefing reporters after the hour-long meeting, NDA convener George Fernandes and BJP leader V K Malhotra said the meeting discussed various issues, which the ruling alliance would raise to counter the opposition.

Raising the Ayodhya issue, C Krishnan (MDMK) sought to know why the government had gone to court on the Ayodhya issue to which Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani said it was intended to resolve the issue as early as possible.

Elaborating, Advani said what the government had done was in keeping with the NDA Agenda for Governance and added that keeping it in abeyance for long was not in the interests of the country or for that matter any community.

In an apparent attempt to deflect attention from Ayodhya, the NDA plans to counter the opposition by raising the issue of frequent violence in Bihar and West Bengal.

Fernandes said his Samata Party colleague Nitish Kumar gave a detailed account of the latest incidents in the state.

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee focused attention on the 'increasing' incidents of violence, rape and murder in West Bengal.

Raising the arrest of MDMK leader Vaiko under POTA, Union minister and DMK leader T R Baalu sought to know what steps the Centre was taking to get Vaiko released from jail.

Baalu was told that a case was pending in the court and when the Centre receives a notice, it would present its views, Fernandes said adding he had met Vaiko twice and the MDMK leader did not want the Centre to directly or otherwise work for his release.

Former Punjab chief minister and Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal alleged that the Punjab government was harassing his party workers, Fernandes said.

External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha indicated that in the eventuality of the US launching a war against Iraq, an escalation in the price of oil could be expected to hit the nation's economy.

The meeting endorsed the government's stand on Iraq and the steps taken by it to protect the life of Indians residing in the region.

P C Thomas of Kerala Congress highlighted the plight of farmers.

The meeting was attended by BJP president M Venkaiah  Naidu, Union Ministers Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha, Sushma Swaraj, BJD leader Arjun Charan Sethi, Samata Party leader Nitish Kumar, Chandra Kant Khaire (Shiv Sena), Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress), T Gyamptso (Sikkim Democratic Party), Omar Abdullah (National Conference), Ramadoss (PMK) and Sushil Indora (INLD).