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The dissident Bharatiya Janata Party legislators on Saturday night rejected the offer of the Uttar Pradesh BJP leadership to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to discuss their grievances.
"The decision not to hold any dialogue with the party leadership was arrived at a meeting of the 'Save BJP Committee'," dissident leader Ganga Bhakt Singh said.
"Once the party has initiated disciplinary action against us [the dissidents], there is no point in holding a dialogue," he said, referring to the suspension of committee spokesman Ramashish Rai. "The party leadership has virtually closed all doors for negotiations by adopting terror tactics and threatening disciplinary action," he added.
Earlier, party general secretary Rajnath Singh said, "I have communicated the prime minister's message [to meet the dissidents] to one of the disgruntled party leaders."
The move by the BJP was seen as a major climb down, as the dissidents had been disallowed an audience with Vajpayee during his 24-hour stay in Lucknow last week.
Asked why the prime minister did not display his magnanimity in meeting the dissidents during his Lucknow stay, he said, "The prime minister told me that no one sought an appointment with him otherwise he had no problem about meeting any of the MLAs."
With inputs from Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
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