BJP set to celebrate its 25th birthday

Mumbai: The two-day national executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party will begin on Monday, followed by a three-day silver jubilee national convention.

In the backdrop of reports that former UP Chief Minister Rajnath Singh was all set to take over as BJP president, party General Secretary Pramod Mahajan said that there would not be any "resignation or coronation" during the five-day event.

Apart from discussions on political, economic, and foreign affairs issues before the country, the convention will also discuss the influence of foreign money on Indian politics.

"Discussions will include the party's success in Gujarat and Bihar assembly polls, forthcoming assembly polls in Pondicherry, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam, and the performance of state governments either ruled by BJP or where the BJP is in opposition," party spokesperson Praksh Jawadekar said.

The party national executive will begin at 1600 hrs IST, with the inaugural address by party President L K Advani, and the two-day closed-door meeting will conclude with closing remarks by former Prime Minister and senior party leader, Atal Bihari Vajpayee on December 27.

The three-day party convention which will begin from December 28, will be open to all and will consist of discussions and a public meeting at Shivaji Park at 1700 hrs IST on December 29.

The open convention will begin on December 28 with Advani's remarks on the current political scene. On December 29, there will be discussions on resolutions and party issues, followed by the public meeting at Shivaji Park, to be addressed by Vajpayee and Advani.

The convention will conclude on December 30 with the concluding speech by Vajpayee.

According to Jawadekar, recent incidents of party MPs allegedly caught accepting bribes were 'aberrations'.

"Since they have been suspended from the parliamentary party, they will not attend the party's national executive," he said.

The BJP national convention in Mumbai is the third such gathering of the 25-year old party to be held in India's economic hub.

The first convention was held in Mumbai in 1980, the year the party was formed when Vajpayee was the party president, while another convention was held here in 1995, when Advani led the BJP.

Advani is again the party president during this silver jubilee convention, although he has already announced that he would be stepping down as party chief after the Mumbai convention.