Shah discusses J&K, other issues with RSS leaders

Ahead of RSS' three-day All-India Pratinidhi Sabha meeting next week, BJP president Amit Shah met up with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and is learnt to have discussed important political events like BJP's alliance with PDP in Jammu and Kashmir and controversial remarks made by the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed after that.

The meeting between Shah, Bhagwat and RSS's second-in-command Suresh Bhayyaji Joshi at organisation's headquarters in Mahal area in Nagpur lasted over eight hours.

While BJP and RSS leaders termed the meeting as "routine", sources said during the meeting BJP chief is learnt to have discussed party's position with regard to the common minimum program of PDP-BJP alliance, its position on Article 370 and the controversial Land Bill that will come up in Parliament.

The meeting assumes significance in the wake of recent controversy over Sayeed's remarks giving credit to Pakistan and separatists for peaceful polls in Jammu and Kashmir, besides other controversial utterances made by some PDP leaders, from which BJP has distanced itself.

Sayeed's statement had created a row and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to clarify in Parliament that the Union government did not endorse his view.

The meeting is also significant as the RSS's Pratinidhi Sabha, its highest decision-making body, is meeting in Nagpur from March 13 to 15. RSS takes its important decisions at this key annual meeting.  Though Shah did not disclose anything on what transpired between him and the RSS top brass, leaders said important political events in the country were discussed.

Shah is also learnt to have discussed his new team members in BJP which he is likely to announce soon, as some of party's key functionaries have become Ministers in the Narendra Modi government's reshuffle effected last November.