Dharam sansad resolution a thought-out plan — UP Oppn

The programmes decided by the Sansad at Allahabad would be counter-productive for the ruling BJP in its efforts to broaden its support-base, ahead of the Assembly polls, he said. “This (announcement of the date) was, in fact, the agenda of the RSS with the sole target of achieving electoral advantage for the BJP for which the VHP was used as an agent and the sansad as the medium,” alleged Singh.

The voice of opposition in the state cannot be ignored because Madhav Govind Vaidya, a senior RSS leader had already announced that the date of temple construction would be around next year and the Sansad resolution came from a board of trustees to which RSS leaders are also members.

The Sangh Parivar’s strategy for the Assembly elections apparently began unfolding when a section of state party leaders picked up the temple line soon after the Prime Minister raised the issue terming it as an expression of national sentiment. Party leaders who had been keeping themselves out of the issue, saying that it was not on the NDA agenda, suddenly became vocal in what was a total volte-face.

“The Opposition has raised the issue, then why cannot we? The BJP has come to power in the state on the issue,” Kalraj Mishra, state party chief pointed out. He took special care to include the temple issue in the political resolution which was passed during the party’s two-day state executive committee meeting at Jhansi. The move caused embarrassment to Chief Minister Rajnath Singh but it was a necessary step to keep the BJP in circulation.

The allies to the Rajnath Singh Government have held out threats of withdrawal if the party does not back out from the temple issue but the BJP stands at an advantageous position, as per calculations of party leaders. “Even if the allies withdraw support over the issue, we have a point to sell to the people that we sacrificed one more government for the cause of Ram,” said a senior party leader on grounds of anonymity.