NEW DELHI, MAR 4: Faced with a fractured verdict, the Bharatiya Janata Party today gave enough indications that it would be willing to drop the contentious issues of Ramjanmabhoomi, Uniform Civil Code and Article 370 from its agenda if its leader Atal Behari Vajpayee was invited to form the Government.Even though the three issues have been included in the draft `national agenda' (the phrase coined by the party to replace the common minimum programme which, it feels, is a much discredited phrase), there was a realization within the party that they may have to be deleted in the face of stiff opposition from its allies.``The three issues do find a mention in the draft programme prepared by us, but in a much diluted form. After all, there is no harm in saying that the party and its allies would work towards evolving a national consensus on these issues,'' a senior BJP leader remarked. By this move, the party also hopes to convince its supporters that it remains committed to its ideological moorings.Thedraft paper is likely to be presented before its allies on March 6, when senior leaders of the various parties supporting the BJP hold their first meeting.``Of course, efforts would be made to persuade our allies to accept these issues in the diluted form,'' asserted another leader.But, at the same time, he also conceded that the party would pursue these issues only upto a certain point, and not beyond, before its allies. `Agreed, these are important issues in our ideological plank, but certainly not our priority areas for the time being,'' he said.ADMK not to join govtAIADMK chief Jayalalitha, in a variance from her earlier stance, tonight sprang a surprise by deciding not to join the Union ministry in the event of the BJP forming the government.Jaya said the party, which had sent a whopping 30 seats for the BJP from TN, had decided to give only outside support to the BJP. The decision was taken after long deliberations with senior party leaders, including AIADMK presidium chairman V RNedunchezhiyan, she said.
