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BJP drops TDP and HVC from coordination panel meeting

In a surprise move, the Bharatiya Janata Party has dropped its post-poll allies, the Telugu Desam Party and the Himachal Vikas Congress, from the list of invitees to the May 9 meeting of the coordination committee.

The party did not explain why these allies have been dropped. Only yesterday, the party had said its post-poll allies were also being invited for the meeting.

BJP vice-president K L Sharma told newspersons in New Delhi today that ''due to a communication gap'', the press was wrongly informed.

Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy has not been invited to the meeting either since he abstained from the confidence vote in Parliament.

The list of invitees includes Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is convener of the committee, Home Minister L K Advani, and deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Jaswant Singh (all BJP), J Jayalalitha (All India Anna DMK), Surjeet Singh Barnala (Akali Dal), Bansi Lal (Himachal Vikas Party), Steel Minister Naveen Patnaik (Biju Janata Dal), Defence Minister George Fernandes (Samata), Mamta Banerjee (Trinamul Congress), Commerce Minister Ramakrishna Hegde (Lok Shakti), Madhukar Sarpotdar (Shiv Sena), S Ramadoss (Pattali Makkal Katchi), V K Ramamurthy (Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress) and V Gopalswamy (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).

UNI

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