The Hindu : Allies, Oppn. slam Govt.

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

National

National

Allies, Oppn. slam Govt.
By Javed M Ansari

NEW DELHI, MARCH 16. The Government was slammed today by its allies as well the Opposition in the Lok Sabha for its stand on the Ayodhya issue.

Participating in a debate on the Attorney-General, Soli Sorabjee's submissions in the Supreme Court on March 13, the BJP allies castigated the Government's decision to send an official of the PMO to receive the `shilas' and also for the stand taken by the Attorney-General.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) launched a sharp attack, which was supported by Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress and Prabhunath Singh of the Samata Party.

The allies warned the BJP not to deviate from the NDA agenda nor to lean on the side of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Yerran Naidu (TDP) made it clear that construction of a Ram temple was not in the Common Minimum Programme, agreed upon by the National Democratic Alliance.

He asked the Prime Minister to clarify his stand on the VHP's claims that since a PMO official had accepted the `shilas' it was an acknowledgement of the Government to construct a temple at the disputed site.

Ms. Banerjee said that without the Government's consent, the Attorney-General could not have made the statement he did in the Supreme Court and said the Government cannot take the allies for granted.

Mr. Singh challenged the right of hardliners to insist on the Ram temple at a particular site. ``How do they know that Lord Ram was born at a particular place,'' he asked.

He demanded all those who were creating communal tension be put in jail.

The JD(U) was critical of the Government for straying from the NDA agenda on Ayodhya.

The former Prime Minister, Deve Gowda, criticised the Government's manner of handling the Ayodhya and Gujarat issues. He was also critical of the stand adopted by the Attorney- General in the Supreme Court.

Mr. Gowda said that Mr. Vajpayee was always trying to please the VHP and the RSS as the BJP had come to power on their support.

PTI reports:

Somnath Chatterjee (CPI-M) said the Attorney-General had compromised his position. It was ``unimaginable'' that an officer of Government was deputed to Ayodhya to accept `shilas'.

``Is this your concept of secularism that Government takes part in `pujas'? It is a deliberate attack on secularism and a Constitutional sacrilege,'' he said.

The CPI(M) leader charged the Government with taking ``the House and the country for a ride'' and said the Prime Minister was trying to take ``cover under the Attorney-General's office''.

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