"As leader of opposition, you would be an honoured member of the National Committee (to commemorate the 1857 independence war) as soon as it is constituted," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a letter to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.

"We will be happy to discuss and consider the useful suggestions you have made in this regard," Manmohan Singh added.

In his May 10 letter to the prime minister, Advani had said the 150th anniversary should be observed in a "befitting manner" by making it a tri-nation event, also involving Pakistani and Bangladeshi leaders.

"The great patriotic rising of 1857 always has a special place in the minds and hearts of every Indian," Advani had said, adding: "It was the first pan-India manifestation of an organised struggle for freedom from alien rule."

In his reply, Manmohan Singh said the department of culture was setting up a broad-based national committee to commemorate the First War of Independence, as also other milestones in the country's path to independence.

The government would ensure the 1857 war was commemorated "with the attention and profile it merits".vm/sa