I need not be apologetic: Advani

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 15. The Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, today said he need not be apologetic about his ideology. ``Can anyone say they will be able to build a mosque at that (disputed) site (in Ayodhya)?''

While Mr. Advani did not clarify his stand on the Ram temple or any of the BJP pet themes, it was clear that after the Prime Minister's statements last week, and his reassertion in the Lok Sabha yesterday that the temple issue was a matter of ``national sentiments,'' party leaders do not feel they should maintain a studied silence on issues dear to them.

Speaking informally to reporters at a lunch hosted by Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, Rural Development Minister, Mr. Advani differentiated between matters of governance and ideology, suggesting that they did not overlap. ``I do not need to be apologetic about my ideology,'' he added.

Curiously, the Minister said that in the last three years the Government ``had left behind these (contentious) issues to strengthen social and communal harmony despite happenings in the past.''

The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, who was also present, kept his distance from mediapersons saying he would not give in to pressure from those looking for a ``quick byte''.

Mr. Advani's charge against the Opposition was that ``it had raised the issue (of his resignation and that of two other Ministers) to create problems for the Prime Minister and the NDA government, but the Opposition also did harm to communal harmony.''

Then almost as if to warn the Opposition, Mr. Advani said that year after year ``they'' were raising this (Ayodhya) issue. ``If we were to raise the issue of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 every year on November 1 it may certainly make for some political gain, but communal harmony would be hurt.''

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