M A I N   N E W S

Advani visits RSS office
Talks of ‘genuine’ secularism

Nagpur, July 13
After discussing the Ayodhya issue with the top RSS and BJP brass in Delhi, Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani today visited the RSS headquarters here and held talks with RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan and other senior leaders.

He addressed a meeting of senior RSS functionaries for about half and hour after offering floral tributes at the memorial of RSS founding fathers K.B. Hedgewar and Guru Gowlkar at the Reshimbagh headquaters.

The Ayodhya issue and increased coordination between the RSS and the BJP ahead of the crucial assembly elections are believed to have figured in the discussions, sources said.

The Deputy Prime Minister had yesterday discussed the Ayodhya issue with top BJP and RSS leaders, including Mr Sudarshan, at a meeting at the residence of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

At the meeting, the BJP had agreed to consider at its coming national executive the VHP demand for a legislation to facilitate construction of Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

Earlier, on board a special aircraft on way to Nagpur, Mr Advani said that the Sangh Parivar should appreciate the BJP’s commitment to ideology along with pragmatism demanded by changing circumstances.

A day after a top BJP brass assured the RSS and the VHP that their demand for a legislation on Ayodhya would be considered at the party national executive in Raipur this week, he said, “We have not abandoned our agenda. The commitment to basic values of ideology has to go along with pragmatic response to the changing scenario. We are hopeful that our associates were more committed to ideology, would appreciate this with the passage of time.”

Mr Advani acknowledged that the BJP arrived at present point by virtue of the Ayodhya movement but said “any narrow appeal of Hindutva is not acceptable to us”.

On the VHP’s earlier demand that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee should resign over his alleged failure to bring a legislation on Ayodhya, he said “they are not able to comprehend that a large area of governance had nothing to do with ideology.” — PTI