NDA allies growl but do not bite

However, these parties are firmly backing the Government in Parliament against the Opposition onslaught. “We are ready to discuss any issue, including the demand for resignation of the three ministers, under whatever rule they want, provided the Lok Sabha Speaker or Rajya Sabha Chairman permits it,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan after the meeting.

The allies, like Trinamool Congress, DMK and TDP, which were so far agitated over the PM’s “inflammatory” statements, did raise the issue at the meeting but were persuaded by the BJP leaders to support L.K. Advani, M.M. Joshi and Uma Bharti. “The NDA sees no reason whatsoever for these three ministers to resign from their ministerial positions on an issue that has no bearing on their constitutional duties,” the resolution read.

The resolution did not refer to the Prime Minister’s statements directly but asserted that the NDA Government was “duty-bound to accept and implement the decision of the Supreme Court on the litigation over title of the disputed land in Ayodhya”. It, therefore, categorically negated Vajpayee’s statement on the site where the Ram Temple and Babri Masjid should be built.

The allies served a reminder to the BJP on its commitment to implement the “national agenda without any deviation”. The BJP leaders present in full strength — six out of 22 persons attending today’s meeting belonged to the BJP — quoted Vajpayee’s statement inside Parliament on December 6, 1992 after the demolition, describing the incident as “most unfortunate” to prove that he never endorsed the temple movement.

The allies were thus left with little option but to express “full faith in Vajpayee’s leadership” to prevent the Opposition from taking advantage of fissures within the ruling alliance over the contentious issue.

NDA convenor George Fernandes did not lag behind in defending Vajpayee. “The Prime Minister has never deviated from the NDA agenda, neither in words nor in deeds,” he told reporters after the meeting. On Vajpayee’s recent statements on Ayodhya being mentioned, Fernandes claimed he had neither read these statements in newspapers not heard them on TV.

Fernandes was quick to blame the media for “distorting” Vajpayee’s statements.