New Delhi, March 14
After hectic consultations at the Prime Minister’s residence late this evening the Vajpayee government was confident that the Ayodhya crisis would blow over peacefully and Ram Janambhoomi Nyas President Ramchandradas Paramhans would be persuaded not to carry out his threat to end life.
Union Home Minister L.K. Advani and Law Minister Arun Jaitley were called by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at his residence this evening for consultations in view of Mahant Paramhans’ threat to end his life tomorrow if his ‘shila daan’ was not accepted by Ayodhya authorities.
During the consultations,
Mr Vajpayee requested Mr Advani to speak to Mahant Paramhans and Mr Ashok Singhal, the Managing Trustee of the nyas and International Working President of the Vishva Hindu Parishad.Well-placed sources disclosed to “The Tribune” late tonight that Union Minister Uma Bharati and firebrand BJP MP from Faizabad Vinay Katiyar had also been roped in to pacify the VHP and Nyas leadership and make them see reason.
Sources said both Mahant Paramhans and Mr Singhal assured Mr Advani that they would cooperate with the government. Mahant Paramhans is believed to have told Mr Advani that he would not be carrying out his threat.
The government’s consultations are to continue virtually throughout the night.
To pacify the VHP and the Nyas, the Vajpayee government today quietly sent a word to them through a trusted aide appealing to them to bear with it and defer their programme of symbolic puja and ‘shila daan’ (donation of carved stones) in Ayodhya for just a couple of months.
The government is pinning its hopes on the Ayodhya case coming up before a larger Bench of the Supreme Court eight to 10 weeks later.
The government is reasonably confident that the larger Bench would take into account the apex court’s relevant judgment passed in 1994.
