Loose talk

JANUARY 30: The BJP's national leaders cannot be amused by the fact that failing politicians in Uttar Pradesh can think of no better way o...

JANUARY 30: The BJP’s national leaders cannot be amused by the fact that failing politicians in Uttar Pradesh can think of no better way of improving their fortunes than by becoming newborn champions of the Ayodhya temple project. It is not only politically inconvenient to have Ayodhya raked up when, as a member of the ruling coalition at the Centre, the BJP is committed to inaction. It is downright embarrassing to be reminded how the BJP national leadership itself used Ayodhya to try to climb to power in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Embarrassed or not, the BJP’s national leaders find it hard to do anything very much about the cynical chanting of Ayodhya by state leaders. All the way down from the chief minister’s gaddi Kalyan Singh was heard promising to launch a new Ayodhya campaign and there was nothing anybody in the party could do to stop it. After that it could have been predicted that the new chief minister, Ram Prakash Gupta, would try to match his predecessor’s rhetoric as he has on more thanone occasion. He has been contradicted by the prime minister but that has had no impact. Gupta has gone on to make more and more provocative statements.

Not everyone will be inclined to treat politicians’ noises on Ayodhya as so much hot air. Organisations like the Bajrang Dal and the Vishva Hindu Parishad have shown impatience with the BJP’s inaction and are looking for an excuse to construct a temple there. They may be encouraged to take the law into their own hands when the chief minister of UP says he will not stand in the way of “peaceful construction” of the temple.

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It is singularly devious of the chief minister to make such a statement. Although the party spo-kesman in New Delhi, Venkaiah Naidu, has since denied the statement, Gupta himself has not. Ambiguity on points of law and order is dangerous. It should therefore be made very clear by national and state BJP leaders that there is no such thing as peaceful construction at Ayodhya because any construction there will be in contravention ofcourt orders. The UP government is duty bound to uphold court orders and prevent any attempt, using force if necessary, to build at the disputed site.

It is well known that the VHP has arranged for the construction of temple pillars in artisans’ workshops close to Ayodhya with the intention of moving the material to the disputed site at short notice. After 1992 anyone in a position of responsibility should be prepared for that happening without legal sanction. It falls to Atal Behari Vajpayee and L. K. Advani as the BJP’s seniormost leaders to make the legal position clear to all. There must be no encouragement of vandals and no scope for misunderstanding as a result of the chief minister’s words. If he spoke carelessly he must retract his words. It may be that the BJP leadership is uncertain about where to draw the line. Is it prepared to take the risk of dismissing Kalyan-talk and Gupta-talk as of no major consequence? Prudence demands mischief be nipped in the bud. Loose talk on Ayodhya should bequashed; otherwise lawless elements will take advantage of political weakness and confusion. Why let the wrong signals go out? Why not simply say the law will be upheld and the law does not allow any construction at Ayodhya?

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