We have taken the initiative, and it is now up to the Congress to respond, Vaghela, who was here with others leaders to attend the two-day RJP executive meeting, told reporters today.

He said a meeting of experts and senior citizens would be held in Ahmedabad next month to create a third force. When pointed out that such experiments had not been successful in the State, Vaghela cited others states and expressed confidence that he would bring about the change in political thinking and voters' attitude.

Accusing the BJP of not learning any lessons from the past, Vaghela said the Keshubhai Patel Government was non-functional and asked it not to politicise the development issues. My government had drawn up several schemes to bring the Narmada water to the thirsty Saurashtra region, plans were drawn for the development of minor and major ports. But this government has not followed them up, Vaghela alleged.

Switching over to the political scene at the Centre, Vaghela drew a parallel between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and last Mughal emperor bahadur Shah Jaffar, and said he (Vajpayee) would go to the President to submit his resignation. The mid-term elections to the Lok Sabha were likely to be held either in March-April or latest by monsoon, he predicted.

Defending his association with the Rastriya Loktantrik Morcha, the former chief minister said his party was free to take decisions independently. We had supported to the Janata Dal in the Broach by-election despite the fact that it was not aligned with the RLM, Vaghela said to support his claim.

To a query on the attack on the BCCI office in Mumbai, Vaghela expressed displeasure over the rigid attitude of the BCCI and the Centre on the Pakistani cricket team's tour as per schedule.

He felt that the Shiv Sena and its chief Balasaheb Thackeray could not have brought politics into sports, especially cricket. it was not good, he remarked, but hastened to add that the BCCI and the Centre could have sought change in the schedule of the Pakisatani team's tour.

Former chief minister Dilip Parikh also castigated the BJP regime, saying it lacked political will to govern. The State had been relegated to the fourth place as far as attracting foreign investment was concerned, he claimed, quoting a study report.

And State RJP president Madhusudan Mistry accused Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel and Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya of conniving with miscreants in violent incidents in the Dangs. That is why, he said, the government had failed to contain violence as well as allowed the miscreants to have a field day. The then district magistrate was asked to permit a rally on Christmas by those in power, he said.