The Hindu : BJP allies join Opposition

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 22, 2003

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BJP allies join Opposition

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI FEB. 21. Fissures reappeared in the NDA ranks in the Lok Sabha today as an unscheduled discussion on Ayodhya over the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's remarks in an election rally in Himachal Pradesh saw the Opposition and ruling benches trade charges.

While the heated exchange went along expected lines, the ruling benches had to face considerable embarrassment with two of its allies — Devendra Prasad Yadav of the JD(U) and S. S. Palanimanickam of the DMK — entering into an argument with another ally, Chandrakant Khaire, of the Shiv Sena, over the temple issue.

Among the last to speak, Mr. Yadav attracted the ire of the ruling benches when he echoed the sentiments aired by the Opposition. With Mr. Khaire protesting that "we will not tolerate any criticism of Hindutva'', the two entered into a brief altercation, with Mr. Palanimanickam rushing to Mr. Yadav's defence much to the delight of the Opposition which egged them on till the Speaker stepped in.

Earlier, the issue was raised by Samajwadi Party's Ramji Lal Suman, who accused the Prime Minister of trying to vitiate the atmosphere and influence the Supreme Court on the eve of a crucial hearing by claiming that there was historic evidence to prove that a Ram temple existed in Ayodhya. ''If such proof exists, why is it not being submitted to the Court?''

While Basudev Acharya of CPI(M) reminded the Government about the President's address to Parliament this Monday wherein A. P. J. Abdul Kalam urged all parties to exercise restraint, his leader, Somnath Chatterjee, said Mr. Vajpayee was trying to influence the court; something that could invite contempt of court charges had he been a "humble mortal".

Even as the Congress echoed these sentiments, Prabhunath Singh of the Samata Party accused the Opposition of vitiating the atmosphere by raising the issue on a regular basis. "If Ram temple is not made in Ayodhya, will it be made in Pakistan," he asked.

Asked by the Speaker to clarify the Government stance on the Prime Minister's statement, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, charged the Opposition with reading Mr. Vajpayee's observations selectively. ''It was a categorical statement that we will accept the Supreme Court verdict. Do not go by the headlines. What greater assurance do you need that the Government is willing to abide by the Court's verdict than to have the Prime Minister say so at an election rally despite the evidence.''

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