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VHP 'surprised'

LUCKNOW, FEB. 16. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today expressed ``surprise'' over the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's remarks that his efforts to find a solution to the Ayodhya issue had failed, saying it had no knowledge of ``where and how'' the talks had failed.

``I have no knowledge where and how the talks failed,'' the VHP president, Ashok Singhal, told the organisation's mouthpiece samvadbharati.com.

Another leader, Giriraj Kishore, in his reaction to Mr. Vajpayee's observation that the VHP was ``unrelenting'', told Aaj Tak that the VHP had announced the date for the construction of Ram temple during the Kumbhmela last year and was only sticking to it.

``I am surprised how we can be called stubborn when we announced the date a year ago and are sticking to it.'' It was the Babri Masjid committee that was ``stubborn'' as it was not ready for talks. Mr. Singhal said there was no ``legal or third-party'' hurdle in handing over the ``undisputed land'' to the saints for the construction of Ram temple. The land demanded by the religious leaders during their recent meeting with Mr. Vajpayee had only two parties - the Government and the Ram Janmabhoomi trust. And so, there was no need for holding talks with Muslims.

- PTI

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