Wednesday, May 4 2005 12:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) today (May 4, 2005) decided to continue its boycott of both houses of Parliament till the end of the budget session on May 13.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Opposition alliance's Coordination Committee, chaired by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

While taking note of Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's fresh appeal to Vajpayee to reconsider the boycott, the leaders took exception to senior Congress leader Ambika Soni's remarks that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may consider another appeal to the Opposition to return to Parliament if it admitted its "mistake" of boycott.

She had yesterday (May 3, 2005) said, "Now if they (BJP-led Opposition) desired to come back accepting their mistake of boycotting Parliament, which is costing public money, then it is possible that the Prime Minister may try once again (to request the NDA) after listening them or getting such indication. I can not say any thing in this regard."