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Allies warn PM over temple issue

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is under pressure with allies like the Telegu Desam Party and the Trinamul Congress warning that the government should not take a unilateral decision on the Ayodhya issue.

"We have told the prime minister that the government cannot take any decision which is not in consonance with the NDA's (National Democratic Alliance) agenda of governance," Sudip Bandopadhyaya, the leader of the Trinamul Congress in the Lok Sabha, told rediff.com

"We are firm that any solution to the Ayodhya dispute should be fair to both the parties (Hindus and Muslims) involved and a unilateral approach in favour of any party will not go down well with us," he said.

Asked whether it meant that the Trinamul would withdraw support to the government if the pillars meant for the construction of the temple were allowed to be carted to the disputed site, he said: "What I am saying is that you cannot please one party at the expense of the other. That is why the verdict of the court is of paramount importance."

With Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati on Tuesday ostensibly hammering out a compromise formula between the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, there is tension among the allies.

"The sentiments of the minority community cannot be injured and we have accordingly apprised the prime minister. We hope that he will not do anything that further fuels the communal environment in the country," TDP leader in the Lok Sabha K Yerran Naidu said.

The sternest warning to Vajpayee came from VHP leader Giriraj Kishore.

"He (the prime minister) should not have told us that he will bring out a solution by March 12. Apparently, it is not going to come. Our patience does not have an inexhaustible supply. Nobody can prevent us from constructing the temple in Ayodhya and we are not concerned about any government's survival," he said.

The Ayodhya Issue: Complete Coverage

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