New Delhi: A crucial meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) began this morning (Nov 15, 2004) to allay apprehensions of allies about BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) return to the Hindutva fold in the wake of its poor performance in the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls.

The meeting at former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence is being attended among others by BJP president L K Advani, NDA convener George Fernandes, JD-U (Janata Dal-United) leaders Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar, BJD (Bharatiya Janata Dal) leader Arjun Charan Sethi and Shiv Sena leader Anant Geethe.

Senior BJP leaders Jaswant Singh and M Venkaiah Naidu, besides Indian Federal Democratic Party leader P C Thomas and Dinesh Trivedi of Trinamool Congress are also attending the meeting.

The meeting has been called at the instance of JD-U which wanted some clarifications from BJP in the wake of Advani reaffirming the party's commitment to the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya in the party's National Executive meeting on October 27.

BJP parliamentary party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra had said yesterday (Nov 14, 2004) that at today's meeting BJP would reaffirm its commitment to both its ideology and NDA's agenda for governance.