Monday, September 12 2005 17:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: A day after publicly asserting that he had no differences with L K Advani, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is today (Sep 12, 2005) understood to have categorically told expelled party leader Madan Lal Khurana to apologise to the party President if he wanted his return into the party fold.

Vajpayee, who had sparked off a crisis in the saffron party by publicly criticising Advani's decision to expel Khurana, is believed to have conveyed to the Delhi strongman at their meeting here (New Delhi) that there cannot be any "compromise with discipline" and he will have to make amends if the party is to reconsider the action against him, party sources said.

The former Prime Minister is also understood to have counselled Khurana to stop airing his views and grievances through the media, they said.

Khurana had attacked the party's "emerging leadership" on Saturday for "attempting to displace the old guard". After receiving the formal expulsion order, he yesterday (sep 11, 2005) charged a section of the party leadership with "conspiring" against him.

An apparently sullen Khurana did not speak to waiting mediapersons after his 40-minute meeting with Vajpayee today.

The sources said while Vajpayee continued to believe that Khurana should be given one more opportunity to explain his stand that was subject to his tendering an apology for making public statements against Advani.

Party General Secretary Pramod Mahajan, who was present at Vajpayee's residence during the meeting, claimed he was not present during the talks between the Delhi strongman and the former Prime Minister.

Senior party leaders Jaswant Singh and M Venkaiah Naidu also met Advani earlier in the day as part of efforts to find a solution to the crisis in the party.