BJP leaders meet Advani with fresh draft

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, led by M Venkaiah Naidu, on Thursday met party president Lal Kishenchand Advani and showed him a fresh draft of a resolution passed by the BJP's parliamentary board on Wednesday asking him to withdraw his resignation.

The draft resolution now hails his Pakistan visit as a major diplomatic success.

Also see: Jinnah is secular, it's a fact -- Jaswant

Advani resigned on Tuesday after coming under sharp attack from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its allied bodies for his remarks praising Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

Naidu, who was accompanied by party general secretaries Sanjay Joshi and Pramod Mahajan, met Advani after marathon discussions with senior party leaders and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states.

Advani had rejected Wednesday's resolution as it made no reference to the controversy over his Jinnah remarks.

Advani has stood by his remarks made in Pakistan praising Jinnah's secular credentials.

So far, only two senior BJP leaders -- former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh -- have come out in his support.