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Congress says BJP is secretly building temple in Ayodhya

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party, along with other constituents of the Sangh Parivar, is 'defying court orders' in the Ayodhya issue and 'clandestinely' trying to build a temple there.

The allegation comes from the Congress which claims the Hindutva party, now that it has failed on 'different fronts', was resorting to 'diversionary tactics.'

Party spokesman Salman Khurshid said that recent news reports, including an interview with Vishwa Hindu Parishad chief Ashok Singhal, indicates that the saffron party is on an "audacious campaign to defy public opinion and court orders in the matter of Ayodhya."

They are again trying to use religion as a political tool to divert attention from their failure in governance, Khurshid said.

Once the BJP runs out of the Pokhran steam, it would mix religion with politics to take undue advantage, he added.

The carving of pillars and building blocks for the temple edifice in the Sirohi district of Rajasthan, and the clandestine transfer of these to Ayodhya obviously points to the Sangh Parivar's plans, Khurshid said.

The court had ordered a status quo in the Ayodhya issue. The present attempts are in violation of court orders, he said.

It was a serious constitutional issue that Union Home Minister L K Advani, an accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, was overseeing the entire affair. "With such a clear case of conflict of interests, what justice can one expect? Is he also giving protection and support to Mr Singhal's clandestine activities in Rajasthan?" Khurshid asked.

He said the country could not forget the trauma inflicted by the Parivar's shila pujan and rath yatra, which culminated in the demolition.

The widespread riots which followed, including the mayhem in Bombay by the Shiv Sena, has left a deep scar on the conscience of the nation. Khurshid said the BJP-Shiv Sena government seemed reluctant to let truth prevail -- one did not know when the Srikrishna Commission report would see the light of the day.

Additional reportage: UNI

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