Wednesday, September 13 2006 14:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Debunking talk of an ongoing struggle between the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) aging and young leaderships, party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad says emphatically that the BJP enjoys a fine balance between the two.

The controversy over the issue of a power struggle between the young and the old erupted after a section of the media reported that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had cautioned the party's national executive against dumping the experienced leaders just because they had grown old.

But, according to Prasad, Vajpayee didn't make any such comment at the national executive meeting of the party held last week in Dehradun from Sep 7 to 9.

"There is no conflict or confusion in the party over this issue. In fact, our senior leadership has nurtured the second generation of leaders. Almost all our chief ministers are in their late forties or early fifties," Prasad told sources

"Our two most senior leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani have developed a whole range of young leaders who are now the known faces all over the country," he added.

In this context, Prasad said, "The evolution of leadership in the party is part of a process that is guided by three factors - ideological clarity, acceptability and ability to understand the working of the party vis-à-vis its relationship with the Sangh Parivar."

Analysing the outcome of the national executive meeting, the former union minister said the party had discussed the poll strategy for the forthcoming assembly elections in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Punjab and Manipur.

"Apart from local issues, the party campaign would focus on deteriorating internal security and the issue of giving respect to national symbols such as 'Vande Mataram'," he said.

"The issues concerning common people such as price rise, crumbling public distribution system and suicides by farmers would also be raised prominently in the coming assembly polls," he said.

According to Prasad, the party is of the view that it is on a strong wicket in the states going to the polls due to the anti-incumbency factor with non-BJP governments in power.