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By R.K. Radhakrishnan
The Union Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh and the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, coming out after meeting the Kanchi Acharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswati, in Kancheepuram on Sunday. — Photo: A. Muralidharan.
Talking to presspersons after an hour-long meeting with Jaswant Singh, Union Finance Minister, and George Fernandes, Defence Minister, who air-dashed here this afternoon for a closed-door meeting with him, the Acharya would only say that everyone should wait; all explanations would be available the next day. "I am not prepared to speak now. The Ministers had a darshan. This meeting was not significant." He said there was no question of his sending any message to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, as he was out of the country. On the Vishwa Hindu Parishad questioning his mediation efforts, the Acharya said that in a democratic country anyone could speak as they pleased. "We want to have a peaceful solution. That is why we are doing this in this manner," he said but refused to go into the details of the proposals. Emerging from the meeting, Mr. Singh and Mr. Fernandes, however, said that they had not discussed the Ayodhya issue or the formula proposed by the Kanchi Acharya. At least one partner in the National Democratic Alliance confirmed that the mission was centered on Ayodhya. But Mr. Singh said that he sought to "set the curiosity" of the media at rest: "All the speculation that George Fernandes and I came in on any particular mission is completely unfounded and misinformed." "I am too small a man on such a big issue and therefore this is not the subject for which I have come here," he said adding that was not carrying any message from Delhi. Explaining his presence at Kancheepuram soon after the VHP and the Pejawar Mutt's criticism of Sri Jayendra Saraswati's proposals, Mr. Singh said that he was here "to inaugurate a technical part of the deemed university (run by the Mutt)". Though he had accepted the invitation earlier, because of various circumstances, he could not come. He was invited again, about a month ago. "I requested my friend George Fernandes that if he was going in this direction my wife and I would be honoured if we could go with him. And he was coming in this direction and I have taken this opportunity to come here and have the Swamiji's darshan and to do what the Swamiji asked us to do, which is to inaugurate the faculty," he said. On Ayodhya, all Mr. Singh would say was: "Considering what is happening, it is my prayer that if an answer could be found, which is peaceful, meets everybody's expectations, which settles strife, which does not create difficulties in society, what can be better than that, both for society and for the country. This is the most constructive thing that can happen." Mr. Fernandes claimed that "he always came here (to the Mutt)" and added that he left happy each time. This time was no different. "I am carrying a message of happiness." On Ayodhya, "any initiative was most welcome and one by the Sankaracharya was more welcome than most welcome". There was no controversy in the NDA over the formula. Asked if he carried a message from New Delhi or was taking a message from here, he said: ``Naturally he (the Sankaracharya) should give the message."
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