Babri hurt BJP and me, no to Kashi, Mathura: Advani

Both the BJP and he, personally, have ‘‘suffered’’ because of the demolition of the Babri masjid and the BJP would have ...

Both the BJP and he, personally, have ‘‘suffered’’ because of the demolition of the Babri masjid and the BJP would have secured a majority in the 1999 elections but for the issue of the demolition, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani has said.

Asked in an interview to BBC World’s Asia Today programme—to be telecast tomorrow—what if the VHP and the RSS continue with their demand on Kashi and Mathura, Advani said: ‘‘The BJP will never support it. And even these organisations (VHP etc) realise that without the support of the BJP their movement could never become a truly mass movement.’’

When asked whether Ayodhya would come in the way if ever there was an opportunity for him to get the top job (the prime minister’s post), Advani replied in the negative, the BBC’s press release said.

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Asked on his image of a hardliner, Advani said he was prepared to live with the title. ‘‘There are times when this image of mine even helps the government,’’ he said. ‘‘So many things and decisions can be attributed to me. There is even an perception in Pakistan that I am a hardliner and that I was responsible for the failure of Indo-Pak talks in Agra. But I don’t blame them (Pakistan) for this image. It’s some people in the Indian media who deliberately—and despite knowing me personally—keep calling me a hardliner,’’ he said.‘‘But it’s not the hardliner tag which hurts me. It’s words like communal, narrow-minded and bigot which upset me. These words do not apply on me,’’ he told the BBC.

Reiterating that he had no regrets about his Somnath-to-Ayodhya rathyatra and his campaign for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, he claimed: ‘‘I believe the Ayodhya issue would finally be an integrating issue between Muslims and Hindus in the country.’’

Advani attributed his party’s Ayodhya campaign to Rajiv Gandhi’s reversal of the Shah Bano verdict and opening of the locks in Ayodhya.

‘‘But what happened in December 1992 should never have happened…It (the mosque demolition) hurt me tremendously,’’ he said.

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Would he have been the prime minister by now but for Ayodhya demolition? ‘‘That’s not the issue,’’ he said, ‘‘The BJP would have got a clear majority by now if it was not for Ayodhya.’’

‘‘I think everyone in the government and the country’s political elite knows I had nothing to do with the demolition. Not just me—no BJP, RSS and VHP leader had planned for what happened on December 6 1992.’’

So is he ready to led the country if and when the occasion came? ‘‘I wish him (Vajpayee) a very long life and may he lead the country for many more years to come,’’ he said.