The Hindu : No objection to VHP's agitation, says BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 14, 2003

National

National

No objection to VHP's agitation, says BJP

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI SEPT. 13. The Bharatiya Janata Party today announced loudly and unambiguously that it would have no objection to intensification of the Ram temple agitation. This follows the statement by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Friday that it would "fully support" the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's plans for "massive mobilisation" on this issue.

The announcement was made by the BJP general secretary, Pramod Mahajan, immediately after a four-hour long meeting of the top BJP and RSS leaders at the residence of the party president, Venkaiah Naidu, where the fallout of the Supreme Court's harsh words about the Modi Government in Gujarat in connection with the Best Bakery case was also discussed.

Later, Mr. Mahajan told reporters that in the light of the Archaeological Survey of India's report on excavations in Ayodhya, it would be natural for the Ram temple movement to be intensified. He indicated that the party had no objection to the VHP's proposed agitation to mobilise people in favour of construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

On the Gujarat issue, he said that the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi would make more efforts to get the guilty punished. There was no question of the party seeking Mr. Modi's resignation.

Besides Mr. Naidu and Mr. Mahajan, the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, RSS leaders Mohan Bhagwat and Madandas Devi, and Cabinet Minister and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Rajnath Singh, attended the meeting.

The raising of the Ayodhya issue in a big way is a key ingredient in the BJP's strategy for political revival in Uttar Pradesh.

Ahead of the elections, the BJP desperately needs a united Sangh Parivar and after the RSS decision to strongly back the VHP's agitation plans, the BJP had little choice but to fall in line to test the Ram card once again.

The discussions in the meeting covered organisational issues, Ayodhya and the Supreme Court's observations on the Gujarat riot cases.

It seems that the RSS leaders once again tried to impress upon the BJP that the Ayodhya issue must be resolved through legislation, but the BJP has expressed its inability to do so unless its allies in the National Democratic Alliance change their stance on the issue. Mr. Mahajan, who spoke to reporters later, said as much.

RSS sources said later that Mr. Bhagwat and Mr. Devi impressed upon the BJP leadership the need to open a line of direct communication with the VHP.

"The RSS has been and is willing to communicate the BJP's viewpoint to the VHP but it would be better for the BJP to talk directly to VHP leaders," the RSS spokesperson, Ram Madhav, said later.

He also indicated that the BJP would "prefer" that the Ayodhya agitation remained mostly focussed on U.P., at least the party would not like it to be directly felt in Delhi where it feared it could rebound in terms of opposition to it by the NDA allies.

The Ucha Adhikar Samiti, a high decision-making body of the VHP chaired by Mahant Avaidyanath, will be meeting here on Monday to be followed by a meeting of the Marg Darshak Mandal Samiti.

The VHP is expected to announce its plans for an Ayodhya agitation after these meetings.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National