New Delhi: BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) today (Nov 22, 2004) declined to attend a dinner hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee saying party leaders were observing a fast to protest the arrest of Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati.

"I spoke to the Speaker and conveyed to him our regrets as all of us are observing 24-hour-'upvas' (fast) on the Shankaracharya issue," BJP deputy leader in Lok Sabha Vijay Kumar Malhotra said.

Spotlight: Kanchi Jayendra Saraswathi's Arrest

Confirming that the party had earlier agreed to attend the dinner tonight, Malhotra said the decision had to be taken on account of the developments arising out of the Pontiff's arrest.

Chatterjee had invited BJP and Congress leaders to dinner to sort out differences ahead of the winter session of Parliament starting December 1.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, BJP president L K Advani, BJP leader in Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh, Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sushma Swaraj, BJP chief whip S S Ahluwalia and himself were the invitees from the BJP, Malhotra said.

Advani is in Chennai today to meet the Shankaracharya.