Bangalore: Differences in BJP over the issue of alliance with RLD came to the fore at the party's national executive meeting here with senior leader Vinay Katiyar and former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh staying away from the meet.

Uttar Pradesh BJP President Ramapathi Tripathi said the entire state unit was against any alliance with the Ajit Singh-led RLD.

"We are one in saying that there should not be any alliance in Uttar Pradesh. We will give our opinion against any grouping in the upcoming polls in the state as it would be harmful in the long run," Tripathi told reporters as he arrived at the venue.

The BJP headquarters in Delhi had witnessed acrimonious scenes on Wednesday with party cadres from Uttar Pradesh staging a protest at the gates after they were denied an appointment to meet Rajnath Singh to discuss the issue.

"If any of the state leaders have any reservation on any issue then it would be discussed at a proper forum but the final decisions on alliance are always taken by the central leadership," party spokesperson Ravi Shanker Prasad told reporters when asked about the absence of the key leaders from Uttar Pradesh.

When contacted, the Delhi office of Katiyar, who is also the general secretary of the party, said he was unable to attend the conclave due to health reasons and issues like alliances are a continuous discussion and was limited to the national executive alone.
Source : PTI