Thursday, September 8 2005 15:39 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Buoyed by words of support from former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Madan Lal Khurana today (Sept 8, 2005) used a meeting of his supporters to launch a bitter attack on BJP President L K Advani whom he accused of harboring a 'dictatorial attitude.'

A day after BJP expelled him for six years on disciplinary grounds, Khurana kept his cards close to his chest on what he proposed to do saying he would announce his next step on Monday or Tuesday.

Three BJP MLAs surfaced at the meeting to back him. Drawing strength from Vajpayee's statement today (Sept 8, 2005) that his ouster from BJP was 'unfortunate', Khurana said he would discuss with "family, friends and BJP Central leaders" before arriving at a decision.

This would be announced between September 16 and 18, when the BJP National Executive meets in Chennai, said the former Delhi Chief Minister who had met Vajpayee and former BJP President Jana Krishnamurthy yesterday (Sept 7, 2005).

In an emotionally-charged speech to hundreds of his supporters, including three BJP MLAs from Delhi, at his residence here, Khurana said he once considered Advani his 'ideal', but the BJP President had "become surrounded by people giving wrong advice from air-conditioned rooms that I should be pushed to the back."

Khurana claimed that after he was served a show-cause notice by BJP on August 22, he sought time thrice to meet Advani but this was not granted.

"Does this not reflect a dictatorial attitude, arrogance?" he asked.