Temple not on agenda — PM

Gupta in a letter to the Prime Minister today had also made it clear his recent statement at Ayodhya in this regard was misquoted by a section of the press and that their agenda is that of the National Democratic Alliance. Moreover, in Varanasi, Gupta told PTI that he has been misquoted.

Gupta’s reported statement that Ram Mandir was on the agenda of his government had created a storm in the LokSabha virtually paralysing the proceedings during most part of the day today with the angry Opposition demanding that Prime Minister should clarify the position.

The opposition had raised the issue in the Lower House yesterday demanding that government explain the position since the chief minister’s reported statement ran contrary to the national agenda of the Central Government. Some of the BJP’s allies like Trinamool Congress and the Telugu Desam also joined the opposition in demanding clarification from the government. In his response Vajpayee had assured the members that he would come back to the House after hearing from the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

The Lok Sabha had to be adjourned twice today when the angry opposition members stalled the proceedings demanding that the Prime Minister make a statement on the issue. The issue also got complicated when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan told the House that the Prime Minister was not scheduled to make any statement on the issuetoday.

Tempers cooled down when the House reassembled at 1600 hours when Mahajan assured the House that Vajpayee would make a statement before the House rose for the day.