The Hindu : BJP favours Ram temple at Ayodhya: Naidu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 16, 2003

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National

BJP favours Ram temple at Ayodhya: Naidu

Ranchi June 15 . The BJP favours construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, the party president, Venkaiah Naidu, said today.

Addressing partymen here, he said that though the party had decided not to raise the issue during the elections, it favoured the temple construction either through mutual settlement between the parties concerned, court intervention or through enactment of legislation through consensus.

"We have not moved away from our personal agenda which includes the temple, common civil code, Hindutva and religious conversion."

In the coming elections, the BJP agenda would run simultaneously with the common agenda of the NDA coalition.

He said the BJP was for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha in the interest of the country and called for a debate among political parties.

"The BJP is of the view that polls for the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha should be held simultaneously in order to focus attention on development projects which are being hampered due to frequent elections."

A simultaneous poll was necessary as the people had been ridiculing political parties for imposing frequent elections on them.

Endorsing the Vice-President, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's similar suggestion for a simultaneous poll made on Saturday at a function in Indore, Mr. Naidu said a consensus, however, should be reached through a debate among regional and national parties.

Mr. Naidu's remarks come in the backdrop of a section of the BJP reportedly favouring advancing next year's Lok Sabha polls to coincide with the Assembly elections in five States later this year.

However, the majority in the party reportedly favours advancing the parliamentary polls to February.

Mr. Naidu also suggested that a no-confidence motion moved against a Government should be followed by a confidence motion as well.

PTI

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