Monday, January 23 2006 15:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Seeking to strengthen its ideological hold over post-Advani Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has organised a two-day brainstorming session in Jaipur beginning tomorrow to be attended by senior party leaders including new President Rajnath Singh and centred around the theme of ethics and politics.

About 40-odd delegates including RSS Chief K S Sudarshan, General Secretary Mohan Bhagwat, BJP's second generation leaders and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states would be attending the closed-door meeting at Chowki Dhani on the outskirts of Jaipur, party sources said.

Both former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former party Chief L K Advani will not be attending the meet.

The session assumes significance as it comes close on the heels of L K Advani's exit as party Chief following a spat with the RSS on the Jinnah issue, the Sanjay Joshi CD scandal and the cash-for-query scam all of which have caused grave concerns to the Sangh fountainhead over the declining moral, ethical and ideological standards of its cadres.

Though a similar meeting was held last year too in Bhopal, the only prominent BJP leaders present were M Venkaiah Naidu, Sanjay Joshi, Bal Apte and Arun Shourie but this time around Murli Manohar Joshi, Pramod Mahajan, Sushma Swaraj, Jaitley, Jagmohan besides Naidu and Apte would be attending it.

Interestingly, RSS had sent invitations to 100-odd people but most including National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Convener George Fernandes have opted out citing other pre-occupations. Fernandes reportedly expressed inability due to ill health, NDA sources said.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia, who too was invited, has also bowed out, party sources said.