Top Bharatiya Janata Party leaders began a brainstorming session in Shimla over the state of affairs in the party against the backdrop of Lok Sabha defeat and internal bickerings that have marred its image with senior leader Jaswant Singh keeping away from the opening session. Singh, from whose book hailing Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the party has distanced itself totally, was in Shimla still staying put in his hotel room, away from the Peterhoff Hotel where the three-day 'Chintan Baithak' is being held.
It was not known whether Singh had chosen to stay away from the first session or would join it later. On the first of its three-day closed-door Chintan Baithak (introspection meeting), the party leadership is expected to discuss the Bal Apte committee report which has been prepared on the basis of inputs from states on the reasons for the poor performance of the party in the Lok Sabha polls. The next two days will discuss the future course of action of the party, learning from the lessons of the recent Lok Sabha elections. The party top brass will also strategise on the forthcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra andHaryana. The meeting, being attended by about 25 top BJP leaders including L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Arun