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BJP has not given up temple issue: Advani
Tribune News Service & Agencies

Saharanpur, February 4
Union Home Minister Mr L.K. Advani today said construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya was very much on the BJP agenda but the party has put it on the back burner for the time being in deference to the wishes of its allies.

Mr Advani, who was on an election tour of western Uttar Pradesh, said the BJP always held the view that a Ram temple must be constructed at the Ramjanmbhoomi in Ayodhya but while doing so the court judgement in the matter should be respected.

“We have not given up the temple issue but only taken it off our immediate agenda as the parties included in the National Democratic Alliance are not in its favour,” Mr Advani said here.

He said elimination of terrorism would be the BJP’s main poll plank, especially in Uttar Pradesh.

Accusing the Opposition of indulging in politics of vote, he said these parties had reduced their agenda to only casteist and communal issues.

In reply to a question, he said the main challenge to the BJP in Punjab was from the Congress, while in Uttar Pradesh its main contenders were the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Responding to another question, he refused to admit that his party had committed a mistake in appointing Mr Rajendra Singh Gupta and Nr Nityanand Swami as Chief Ministers of UP and Uttaranchal, respectively.

Mr Gupta was removed as the party thought he would not be able to give the kind of leadership required for winning the elections, Mr Advani said.

NOIDA: Pledging to defeat Pakistan in the proxy war, Home Minister L.K. Advani today asked opposition parties not to politicise the issue of terrorism, including the ban on SIMI and misuse of madarsas by Pakistan’s ISI.

Addressing a campaign rally here in favour of the BJP’s sitting MLA and candidate for the ensuing Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Mr Advani said, “Crushing terrorism is a difficult task and in this arduous task all political parties and the common man, in particular, should be united.”

“I appeal to the political parties to keep politics away from issues of national security and the global war against terrorism,” he said.

Heaping praise on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharyya for boldly coming out against the ISI activities in some madarsas along the Bangladesh border despite opposition from his own party, the CPM, the Home Minister justified the ban on SIMI.

“SIMI, which has been banned, has been acting as the recruitment agency for Pakistan’s ISI. There is ample evidence in this regard,” Mr Advani said.

Taking a dig at the Samajwadi Party, which expressed reservation over the ban on SIMI, Mr Advani said “for vested political interests no one should come in defence of such organisations and demand that bans should not be imposed on them.”

The political parties, including the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the BSP should come together and unanimously pass laws like POTO against terror, he said.

“Let our differences on other issues prevail but on the issue of terrorism let us be united,” he said at the public meeting at the Noida stadium here.

One of the significant factors of today’s election meeting was sharing of dais by Mr Advani’s son Jayant Advani.

Realising sizeable percentage of Garhwali population in the Noida constituency, the Home Minister highlighted the crucial role played by the BJP in the formation of Uttaranchal.

VHP writes to Sonia on Ayodhya issue

Ahmedabad, February 4
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today said it had written a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi seeking her views on the Ayodhya issue and support for the temple construction there and asserted that it would not alter the plan to build the shrine on March 12 under any circumstances.

VHP international general secretary Pravin Togadia told reporters here that the parishad had met senior political leaders, including Ms Mamata Bannerjee, Mr J. Jayalalithaa, Mr Sharad Pawar, Mr George Fernandes and Mr Bal Thackeray.

He said the leaders were told to make a choice before March 12 whether they wanted to go with those who believed in the philosophy of universal brotherhood (followers of Lord Mahavira, Gautam Buddha, Hinduism and others) or those who preached and propounded the tenets of destruction and annihilation like Mohammed Ghori and Ghaznavi.

Stating that the temple would be built at any cost Mr Togadia said he was not bothered “who is with us or against us on the issue.” PTI