The exercise planned after a long gap is aimed at reviewing the success or otherwise of parivar's policies and programmes and chalking out agenda for the first decade of the new millenium. The leaders are expected to deliberate over parivar's policies based on Hindutva and Swadeshi, the limited appeal of these concepts at mass level, parivar's stand following a spate of protest rallies by Christians, compromises by BJP on these issues to come to power at the Centre and the tough stand taken by the hardliners causing embarrassment to BJP governments in states and also at the Centre and above all, the performance of BJP governments in various states and Vajpayee-led Government at the Centre.

According to an RSS functionary,the parivar is not interested merely in finalising an action plan for itself but also to set the socio-political and economic agenda of India in 21st century.

About 400 top leaders of the RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, BJP, Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh (BMS), Swadeshi Jagaran Manch and selected representatives of organisations working among tribals and in backward areas will participate in the strategy meet, described as `Chintan Baithak' by parivar leaders. Besides, the brain-storming sessions where representatives of these organisations will participate, the five-day exercise will also include a meeting of the RSS executive.

Among the leaders expected to attend are BJP president Kushabhau Thakre, Ashok Singhal of VHP and veteran BMS leader Dattopant Thengadi. Speculations were rife over participation of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Union Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani. But they are unlikely to attend the meet.

Speculations were also rife over the possibility ofthe BJP leaders including Vajpayee, Advani and Thakre coming under fire from the leaders of the sister organisations in the parivar, particularly in view of the BJP's poor showing in the recently held Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan. While the exercise is considered as a crucial one, the parivar is playing it down.

A senior RSS functionary maintained that there was nothing special about it while another scoffed at reports about BJP leaders coming under fire at the meeting. Such reports have only entertainment value, he said adding that the reports come from those having little idea about the parivar's way of functioning, which is much different from that of most political parties. He maintained that the meeting was planned much before the recent Assembly polls in four states and preferred to describe it as meeting of extended RSS executive committee.