The Hindu : VHP stand assailed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2003

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VHP stand assailed

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI SEPT. 16. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad announcement of another round of agitation on the Ram temple issue evoked strong reaction from the Opposition even as the Bharatiya Janata Party indicated that it may not be possible to call a special session of Parliament to legislate on the demand.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo termed the VHP announcement as "a provocative attempt to rouse communal tensions''.

The demand for legislation by Parliament for constructing a temple at Ayodhya was nothing but an attempt to bypass the judicial process, which is on".

"The BJP, by declaring support for the VHP's call, is fully complicit in this disruptive game. If the Vajpayee Government does not take a categorical stand that only a judicial verdict can be the solution, it will be conniving with the RSS/VHP plans", it said.

The party said that after having witnessed the periodical raising of the temple issue by the RSS and its outfits, the people would understand that this was a cynical gambit keeping an eye on the coming Assembly elections to the four northern States.

On the other hand, the Congress asked why if the VHP was so certain about the contents of the Archaeological Survey of India report, it should not wait for the court judgment but demand legislation.

The party spokesperson, S. Jaipal Reddy, said the VHP's demand was in connivance with the BJP.

However, he said, that there was no political support to the demand and predicted it would fizzle out.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on its part indicated that the demand to legislate through a special session would not be possible. The party president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, said given the current arithmetic in Parliament and also the stance of various political parties, including those in the NDA, it would not be possible to enact a legislation.

Mr. Naidu indicated that the BJP was unwilling to take the "big risk'' of bringing forth any legislation on the ground that there would be a setback to the temple movement, if it were to fall.

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