NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said the Manmohan Singh Government "cannot absolve itself of responsibility" for Tuesday's incident at Ayodhya by blaming the Vajpayee Government for its handling of the Kandahar hijack, the Akshardham or Raghunath temple attacks or even the attack on Parliament.

Commenting on news reports quoting the Prime Minister as having dismissed the BJP's agitation over the Ayodhya attack as an effort to score "cheap political points,"BJP chief L.K. Advani said the party had "only allowed people to vent their anger" and this was "not cheap politics."

Later, party spokesperson Sushma Swaraj joined issue with Dr. Singh and said the Government "cannot absolve itself of responsibility and accountability for what happens now" by "blaming the previous government for incidents that took place in the past."

To questions on the BJP's demand for the resignation of Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil after the attack on the temple complex at Ayodhya, Dr. Singh referred to the Kandahar hijack, the attacks on the Akshardham and Raghunath temples, the assault on the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and even Parliament to say the then "presiding deity at the Home Ministry [Mr. Advani]" had not resigned. Ms. Swaraj claimed that the Congress too demanded resignations and talked about security lapses when it was in the Opposition.

Ms. Swaraj lamented its "double standards."

"When they [the Congress] oppose, they behave like a responsible Opposition; when we oppose, we indulge in politics." Ayodhya, she said, was not the site of any temple; it was "our political dharma to protest [any attack on Ayodhya]."

Ms. Swaraj also objected to media reports on Tuesday's Allahabad High Court order that the Babri demolition case against Mr. Advani continue (reversing the lower Rae Bareli court's order discharging him in September 2003).

The media, she said, made out "as if there was no case pending against Mr. Advani in relation to the December 6, 1992 episode [in which the Babri Masjid was demolished]."

"We [the BJP] could go to the Supreme Court against the High Court decision" but "a final decision would be taken by the legal experts being consulted." She reiterated the party's view that the Ayodhya cases were not "criminal."

"Mr. Advani has committed no crime. It is not a corruption or murder case. Mr. Advani has committed no crime. The cases were in relation to a national movement [the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation]," Ms. Swaraj said.

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