VHP defers plan on temple

NEW DELHI, July 7: Wary of putting the BJP-led Government in jeopardy, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has climbed down from its earlier aggressiv...

NEW DELHI, July 7: Wary of putting the BJP-led Government in jeopardy, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has climbed down from its earlier aggressive stance on the issue of construction of a temple at Ayodhya.

Instead of taking a decisive8217; stand on the issue, which it was expected to do, the VHP8217;s margdarshak mandal merely reaffirmed its commitment to build the temple at Ayodhya at 8220;an appropriate time.8221; Swami Ram Chandra Paramhans, chairman of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Nyas, told mediapersons at the end of the two-day-long meeting that the construction process was not likely to begin for at least three more years.

8220;Until and unless the task of collecting the material needed for it is ready, the construction at the disputed site will not start,8221; he said, adding, 8220;According to the engineers and technicians, the entire process is likely to take around three years.8221;

The margdarshak mandal, it is learnt, dwelt at length on when to start the temple construction. But in the end, there was unanimity on theneed to exercise caution and not do anything that would put the Vajpayee Government in the dock and hasten its downfall.

A way out was found by deferring a decision on the issue till next February when the dharam sansad holds its meeting in Gujarat. The margdarshak mandal in its resolution merely criticised those political parties which had opposed the task of cutting and sculpting stones for the temple 8212; work, it noted, which had been going on for the past 10 years.

8220;The margdarshak mandal is anguished over the manner in which these opportunistic parties had raked up the issue with the sole aim of attracting Muslim votes,8221; it said, 8220;They have neither learnt any lesson from history nor learnt to respect the sentiments of the people,8221; the resolution said.

Speaking to mediapersons today, Swamy Paramhans described Prime Minister Vajpayee as 8220;a courageous person who had dared to defy the world8217;s big powers by going in for the nuclear tests.8221;

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He refused to join issue with the Prime Minister forstating in Parliament that the Government would do everything to ensure the court judgment on Ayodhya issue was implemented. 8220;He, as the head of the Government, has his own compulsions,8221; Swamy Paramhans said.

He however made it clear that the sadhu samaj8221; would not construct the temple with the permission of any court or government. But he maintained that he had full faith faith in judiciary. 8220;I am sure the it will give its verdict in our favour,8221; he said.

He however made it clear that any adverse judgment by the judiciary on the Ayodhya issue would not be acceptable to the sadhu samaj. 8220;If the Congress which overturned the Supreme Court judgment in the Shah Bano case by passing a legislation could get away with it, why can8217;t the VHP do the same and get a legislation enacted ?8221; he asked.