New Delhi: The Left has asked Home Minister Rajnath Singh to explain why National Security Advisor AjitDoval was present at a meeting of the BJP at Singh's house to discuss the party's election strategy in poll-bound Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya.

Several BJP and RSS leaders had met Singh to deliberate on the upcoming assembly polls in the three states. On the one hand, while Singh, BJP general sceretary Ram Madhav and senior RSS functionary Krishna Gopal attended the meeting, national security advisor AjitDoval was also present during the meeting.

Asking the Home minister to immediately clarify the reasons for the NSA to be present at a party meeting, the CPM political bureau said that it was highly improper that a government functionary should be a part of such a meeting.

In a statement, the CPM said, "The (presence of) National Security Adviser AjitDoval...is a shocking violation of norms and serious misconduct. How can a senior government functionary like the NSA be present in a meeting to discuss the BJP's election campaign? The Union Home Minister must immediately clarify."

In Tripura, where the BJP is the main contender against the ManikSarkar-led Left Front government, the saffron party is likely to ally with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT). The IPFT represents a section of Tripura's tribal population, and has been pushing for the formation of a separate state, independent of India. The Left, which has referred to the move as having serious security implications for the country, has also alleged that BJP's 'unscruplous' ways to win elections are, especially in this case, anti-India.

Recently, the Home minister had assured IPFT the government would form a high-powered committee to look into their demands and to protect and promote their socio-economic and cultural interests. The BJP did not, however, support the demand for a separate state for the indegenous population.