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Praise for Mulayam Govt.

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI OCT. 18. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Muslim leadership have given the Mulayam Singh Government a pat on the back for handling with tact the latest Ayodhya `agitation'. A day after the peaceful culmination of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad `agitation', the BJP president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, today made light of the demand for the dismissal of the Uttar Pradesh Government. "Everything has passed off peacefully, there is no need to dismiss the State Government," he said.

Similarly, the All-India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat felicitated the State Government "for dealing effectively with the invasion of Ayodhya by the so-called `Ram bhakts' in a peaceful and decisive manner." Its president, Syed Shahabuddin, expressed "deep appreciation" for the resolute and uncompromising stand taken by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav and by the State and district administration in blocking the VHP build-up. He demanded that the Centre and all State Governments take note of the provocative statements by the VHP leaders.

The Lok Janshakti Party leader, Ram Vilas Paswan, also lauded Mr. Mulayam Singh but cautioned against showing too much indulgence towards the VHP. "No concession and no leniency should be shown towards them," he told a press conference here.

The BJP chief's grudging praise for Mr. Yadav are at variance with the VHP's demand for the dismissal of the Mulayam Singh Government. Mr. Naidu also suggested that credit should also go to the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, for tactfully defusing the latest VHP "agitation." Indirectly, he ended up by confirming the VHP leaders' suspicion that the "Centre and the State Government were acting in tandem to frustrate their mobilisation".

Mr. Naidu chided the Congress for demanding a ban on the VHP and wondered why the party had never demanded a ban on the Muslim League or the Students Islamic Movement of India.

Mr. Naidu also utilised his address to the doctors' cell of the BJP to urge Muslims to adopt a positive attitude to the temple dispute. "Muslims must rise to the occasion and respect the sentiments of the majority community," he said. They should not equate the Ram temple issue with "the structure built by an invader". The Ram temple, he said, was a matter of deep faith and reverence to millions of Indians and could not be wished away.

Mr. Naidu said the BJP favoured a "grand Ram temple at Ayodhya, but it must be done peacefully and with dignity".

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