New Delhi, February 26
In a firm response to the VHP’s threat to begin construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya after March 15, the government today assured that it would not allow a repeat of 1992 and would maintain the status quo at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

Briefing newspersons after a two-hour all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan said the government was not withdrawing security forces from the state which were sent for the Assembly elections.

Union Home Minister L.K. Advani told the meeting that it was the primary responsibility of the Centre to maintain the status quo at the disputed and acquired land and it would duly fulfil it.

“We are aware of what happened in 1992 and we assure you that we will not allow 1992 to be repeated. We will not do anything which will make us repent at a later stage.”

Mr Advani said even if a new government took over in Uttar Pradesh, the Centre considered its own responsibility to ensure law and order and it would make all efforts in that direction.

The Opposition came down heavily on the government for not coming out with any concrete assurance to prevent VHP activists from going ahead with their plan to start the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya from March 15.

Emerging from the all-party meeting, Opposition leaders said a situation similar to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 might recur as the government was “doing nothing” to curb the “unlawful assembly” of VHP activists.

Today’s meeting was convened in response to Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi’s letter to the Prime Minister calling for an all-party discussion to defuse tensions developing in Ayodhya following the VHP’s threat to start construction of the temple from March 15.

The Congress, Left parties and RJD leaders said they were totally dissatisfied with the Prime Minister’s statement at the meeting that the government would act only when VHP elements “indulge in anything unlawful”. They felt that it was the Centre’s responsibility to “pre-empt anything from happening” at the disputed site in Ayodhya, “particularly since there is no government in place in Uttar Pradesh”.

Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh called for firm action before the situation became “uncontrollable” and urged the government to make “an actual assessment” of the situation developing there.

“A mere assurance that action will be taken is not enough. The question of the government taking action on the VHP’s declaration to flout all laws remains unanswered. God forbid, but I will not be surprised, if what happened in 1992 recurs,” Mr Arjun Singh said.

Earlier, VHP Vice-President Giriraj Kishore said the parishad was not bothered about the possibility of the beginning of the construction of the temple leading to riots.

Expressing the VHP’s resolve to go ahead with the construction, irrespective of its fallout on the law-and-order situation, Mr Kishore told a TV channel: “We should not be afraid of that because Hindus are not weak”.

Asked what would happen to Muslims if the country was turned into a Hindu nation, the VHP functionary said: “Most Muslims in India are converted. They are not born Muslims.”

Earlier, on the second day of the all-important Budget session, the government today got an indication that it was in for a tough time from a determined Opposition on all contentious issues.