The Hindu : We cannot say anything now on Kashi, Mathura: BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2003

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We cannot say anything now on Kashi, Mathura: BJP

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI JUNE 23. The Bharatiya Janata Party is unwilling to make a commitment or give an assurance that it will not support any organisation raising the "mandir-masjid" disputes in Kashi or Mathura in future if the Ayodhya issue is resolved amicably.

A change in tone was also noted on the question of involving the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on any agreed formula for resolving the Ayodhya matter with the BJP noting: "at some later stage VHP leaders would have to be involved".

The party's stance today suggested that it has fallen in line with the RSS view clearly expounded by the RSS chief, K.S. Sudershan, that "Hindus" cannot bargain away Kashi and Mathura, and that for any viable solution on Ayodhya, the VHP which has been in the forefront of the Ram temple "movement" , would have to be taken into confidence.

It is assumed that the change in tone and tenor of the BJP was the result of the meeting between Mr. Sudershan and party president, Venkaiah Naidu, yesterday.

The party spokesperson and general secretary, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, was today repeatedly asked whether the BJP leaders in Government were ready to give an assurance that their party would not support the Kashi or Mathura issues if the Muslim community agreed to give up its claim on the disputed land in Ayodhya. His response at a press conference was: "the party has not discussed the Kashi and Mathura issues and we cannot say anything now."

When it was pointed out that the Places of Worship Act enacted by the Narasimha Rao Government placed the Kashi and Mathura issues out of the purview of courts and their current status could not be disputed legally, Mr. Naqvi's response was rather oblique. "The BJP is a political party, it is not in the business of building temples. We have stated that we are in favour of a Ram mandir (in Ayodhya)... Kashi and Mathura have not yet been discussed by the party, we have not taken a view," Mr. Naqvi said. He insisted that it was "in the national interest" not to delay a solution to the Ayodhya dispute. "A Ram temple must be built there as soon as possible, through the court (judicial verdict) or some other way (a reference to the efforts of the Kanchi seer, Jayendra Saraswati)," Mr. Naqvi emphasised.

Senior BJP leaders believe that if the Ayodhya issue is resolved in favour of a Ram temple, the BJP can claim victory on the issue which it has espoused since 1989, and it could lead to an emotional wave in favour of the party, at least in North India.

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