Temple politics widens Govt, Opp rift

Tuesday’s attack was not quite on the same scale as Akshardham or Parliament. All five terrorists — suspected to belong to the Lashkar-e-Toiba — were gunned down and no harm came to the complex. And yet it poses a bigger challenge to the UPA government.

The first challenge is to prevent an outbreak of communal violence. Putting the country on a high alert, the Prime Minister spoke personally to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav soon after the incident. With the BJP having given a nationwide call for a bandh on Wednesday, the Government was particularly nervous about the reaction in Gujarat, with reports of growing panic and fear in the minority community there, and with Narendra Modi in the saddle and law and order a state subject.

The attack has been seized as an opportunity by the beleaguered BJP leaders to prove their Hindutva credentials and mend fences with the RSS. Even someone like Jaswant Singh who is considered a moderate could not resist describing the attack as a threat to Hindu faith. He also demanded the resignation of the Home Minister. To which Ambika Soni asked if ‘‘the then Home Minister had resigned when Parliament was attacked or when Akshardham came under fire or when there was an assault on the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly or when Chittisinghpora happened’’.

Though Pakistan condemned the Ayodhya attack and former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee said a distinction had to be made between terrorism and relations with Pakistan, BJP will force the government to look over its shoulders constantly as far as dialogue with Pakistan is concerned.

There may, however, be an unintended benefit for the UPA. Today’s attack may force the Left parties, which have moved away from the Congress on the disinvestment issue, to close ranks with the UPA, particularly if the BJP goes back to its old agenda.