NEW DELHI, Dec 7 — Following a twin approach of satisfying the traditional Hindu constituency as well as the secular allies of his government, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today said a solution to the construction of a Ram Temple at the yet judicially undecided site in Ayodhya was possible with mutual consultation between Hindus and Muslims.

Giving elaborate clarifications about his remarks on the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya at the Iftar of Minister of State of Human Resource Development Shahnawaz Hussain, the Prime Minister said “while the whole country wants a temple there and even Muslims are not opposed to it, it is yet to be decided as where it should be constructed”.

When asked to elaborate on his words “yet to be realised”, Mr Vajpayee said what he meant was that the issue had not yet been resolved.

Where the temple will be built is yet to be decided, Mr Vajpayee said and added that the temple could be built there and a mosque could be built at an alternative site.

For the consumption of his allies and their followers, the Prime Minister said his government was not deviating from the National Agenda of Governance and “there was no hidden agenda”.

Mr Vajpayee further said the issue could either be decided in the courts or it could be mutually solved between Hindus and Muslims.

With the above explanation and his meetings with the Trinamool Congress Chief, Ms Mamata Banerjee and the Telegu Desam Party leader, Mr K. Yerran Naidu, a threat, if any, to the Vajpayee government has blown over.

Both Ms Banerjee and Mr Naidu met Mr Vajpayee and discussed his yesterday’s remarks on the Ayodhya issue after which they said they were satisfied with his explanation.

Maintaining that the Prime Minister told them that he was never in favour of the demolition of the Babri Masjid Mr Naidu and Ms Banerjee told reporters, after their meeting, that the Prime Minister explained his remarks on the issue and said “we are now satisfied”.

The two allies had yesterday expressed displeasure over Mr Vajpayee’s remarks that the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya was an expression of national sentiment which was yet to be realised.

The two leaders said Mr Vajpayee had assured them that the government was committed to the National Agenda of Governance and it would not go beyond it.

The BJP today fully defended the Prime Minister’s statement about the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya, saying he had not deviated from the stand taken by the NDA government.