The Hindu : 'Govt. played the role of facilitator'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 17, 2002

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'Govt. played the role of facilitator'

NEW DELHI, MARCH 16. The Union Law Minister, Arun Jaitley, today defended the Government's action in deputing a senior PMO official to Ayodhya to receive `shila daan' saying the Government had merely performed the role of a ``facilitator''.

Intervening in a discussion on Ayodhya in the Lok Sabha, he said the Attorney-General, Soli Sorabjee's arguments in the Supreme Court for allowing `puja' were not at the behest of the Government.

He said the acceptance of `shila daan' by the officer was not against the secular character of the country. Claiming that civil service officials were deputed to religious institutions, he referred to the sending of official delegations for Haj and appointment of administrators for the Tirupati temple. In 1989, `shilanyas' was performed with the blessings of the then Congress Government.

Defending Mr. Sorabjee's action, he said: ``The Attorney-General interprets on his own and not on behalf of the Government and does not accept instructions from the Government.'' Quoting the Constitution, Mr. Jaitley said it was clearly laid down that the Attorney-General was independent of the Government and appeared in courts on its behalf.

``We are a multi-religious and pluralistic society where the state acts as a facilitator. The state does not discriminate against any religion,'' he added.

Countering the arguments of the Congress member, Buta Singh, that Government officers were deputed to religious institutions on the basis of Acts of Parliament, Mr. Jaitley said, ``not all are deputed by Acts of Parliament. Some are deputed by executive decisions.''

Hitting out at the Opposition, he said as the events of March 15 passed off peacefully at Ayodhya, the ``Opposition appears to be considerably disappointed''.

Taking a dig at Jaipal Reddy, Congress, he said, ``Mr. Reddy was `humongously' disappointed.''

- PTI

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