M A I N   N E W S

Advani may resign in case of adverse verdict
BJP contingency plan in Babri demolition case
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 16
The Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh(RSS), in close association with the BJP leadership, is working on a ‘contingency plan’ to meet the challenge of a possible adverse verdict on September 19 in the Special Court in Rae Bareli, hearing the Babri masjid demolition case.

The plan included the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani to effectively turn the Ram temple issue into an electoral advantage for the BJP.

By resigning from the powerful government position, Mr Advani’s political graph would automatically shoot up as he would go down in popular perception as a person who did not hanker after power, so went the the RSS argument.

After all, former Prime Minister V P Singh had become popular in late 80s after his resignation due to Bofors scam, a Sangh leader was believed to have said.

After his resignation from the government, Mr Advani would fully get involved in the Ram temple movement which was bound to pay rich political dividends to the BJP.

A senior BJP leader confirmed today that the party was preparing a ‘contingency plan’ to get advantage out of a possible adverse verdict.

Top party leaders had been discussing the case and the various possible decisions that could be the outcome, party sources said.

But no final opinion on the issue of Mr Advani’s resignation had yet emerged, sources pointed out, adding that the Sangh would definitely try to convert the issue into an electoral one.

The BJP, as well as the Sangh, had all along been maintaining that the case in Rae Bareli was ‘politically motivated’ so charges against the Sangh leaders would not stand public scrutiny.

The issue had also apparently figured at the four-hour-long meeting of RSS-BJP leaders on Saturday last at the residence of BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu which was also attended by Mr Advani.

However, none of the leaders were prepared to comment on the matter except to say they were following a wait-and-watch attitude.

Apart from Mr Advani, the other major accused in the case are HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, BJP leaders Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar, VHP leaders Ashok Singhal, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya, Giriraj Kishore and Sadhvi Rithambara.