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Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee views the recent storming of a temple in Ayodhya by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad as being detrimental to the Bhartiya Janata Party.
"Far from providing any political mileage, it is bound to reduce our votes in the coming elections," Vajpayee said at a press conference, while replying to a suggestion that the act had been engineered to serve the electoral objectives of the BJP.
Elections are due in Uttar Pradesh early next year.
"Whatever has happened on October 17, should not have happened," Vajpayee said.
VHP leaders Ashok Singhal, Shrish Chandra Dixit, Acharya Giriraj Kishore and Praveenbhai Togaria had stormed into the sanctum sanctorum of temple, built on the ruins of the Babri mosque that had been torn down by Hindu zealots on December 6, 1992.
A Supreme Court order bans entry into the temple.
"I am told that a First Information Report has been lodged against them. The chief minister had ordered a probe, and its report is currently being scrutinised. I am sure suitable action will follow," Vajpayee said.
On Monday, however, the police virtually absolved the VHP of blame. A police report submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government says the VHP cadres did not enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
Opposition leaders, however, alleged the report had been doctored under pressure from the ruling BJP because of its close links with the VHP.
Vajpayee also called for stepped up security arrangements in and around the site where the makeshift temple stands. Vajpayee has previously said that a security lapse had led to the incident and hoped that steps would be taken to prevent the recurrence of such 'mishaps'.
He felt that the VHP action could adversely affect the 'secret' parleys he had initiated to bring about an out of court settlement to the temple-mosque issue.
He, however, declined to divulge any details of the process, about which he appeared optimistic.
"I cannot tell who all are involved in this amicable process, nor can I tell you at what stage the talks are. But I am very hopeful that my efforts will bear fruit, even though the happenings of October 17 in Ayodhya have adversely affected it," he said.
"After all, there are only two ways of building the Ayodhya temple: through a court verdict in favour of the temple or by striking an out of court settlement by means of a dialogue.
Indo-Asian News Service
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