Date:21/11/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/11/21/stories/2002112106111100.htm

National

'BJP not for war of words with Singhal'

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI NOV. 20. The Bharatiya Janata Party today was unwilling to take on the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, Ashok Singhal, for his describing the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, describing him as a "pseudo-secularist'' and an "appeaser of the minorities.''

The reason was simple, explained a senior BJP leader: "We have decided to observe a unilateral ceasefire against the Sangh Parivar till December 12 (the date of polling in Gujarat), just as there is an undeclared ceasefire against terrorists till the end of Ramzan.''

The BJP is depending heavily on the Sangh Parivar organisations such as the VHP and the Bajrang Dal to campaign in Gujarat and this was not the right time for a war of words with Mr. Singhal, the party has decided.

The BJP spokesperson, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, and other senior leaders were at pains to point out the difference between "Hindu rashtra'' (Hindu nation, which India already is, according to them) and "Hindu rajya" (India as a Hindu State, which was not a possibility since for that the entire Constitution would have to be changed and the BJP did not have the numbers to do that).

Mr. Malhotra also emphasised that Mr. Singhal had reacted to Mr. Advani's November 18 speech in the Lok Sabha on the basis of "wrong reports'' as Mr. Advani "did not say India is not and will not ever be a Hindu rashtra.'' Another senior leader said Mr. Advani had referred to the impossibility of India becoming a Hindu State, and after a section of the media "misreported'' that Mr. Singhal had criticised Mr. Advani.

Senior leaders point out that the goal of a Hindu State had been given up because it was seen to be impossible to achieve, but Hindu Rashtra was an accepted concept by the entire Parivar, including the BJP, for the saffron party believes that "India is already a Hindu rashtra by virtue of its nearly 85 per cent Hindu population.''