NEW DELHI, DEC 15: Jubilant with the impact of its thumping victory in the Lok Sabha on Ayodhya, the BJP today readily agreed to debate the issue in Rajya Sabha as well, under a rule entailing voting, knowing fully well that it was set to lose there.The BJP was resisting a discussion in Rajya Sabha for the past nine days under a rule that entailed voting, leading adjournment of the Rajya Sabha, since it does not have a majority and losing here would have meant censure of the three chargesheeted ministers.But with Lok Sabha giving them a clean chit, the BJP aparently decided to reap political harvest on the Ayodhya issue. NDA partners endorsing Prime Minister's statement about Ram Temple movement being an expression of national sentiments, was a major achievement for the BJP, party's floor managers feel.Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani, who along with Uma Bharti and MM Joshi, had been chargesheeted in the demolition case asserted that he was ashamed of his ideology. Sarcastically referring to the CBI chargesheet in the demolition case Advani said, ``I am surprised at the charges they have levelled made against me''.The jubiliant mood of BJP workers was very much on display at a luncheon party hosted by Rural Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu today and the only topic of the debate was the Lok Sabha debate.BJP's hardline workers who had become indifferent due to abdication of Ram Temple issue, would be reactivated by Vajpayee's commitment to the temple cause, feel leaders.This is probably why the party agreed to the discussion in the Rajya Sabha under rule 168 on an Opposition-sponsored motion broadly saying that the House disagrees with the Prime Minister's clean chit to the three Ministers chargesheeted in the Babri Masjid demolition case.``Yes, we know we won't win in the Rajya Sabha but losing here won't make much of a difference to the position of the three ministers who are mainly responsible to the Lok Sabha'', BJP spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra told this reporter today.Malhotra cites example of a similar motion being passed against former prime ministers Chaudhury Charan Singh and Morarji Desai in 1977-78 since the then ruling Janata Party did not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha. ``When it did not affect their position, how can it affect continuance of Joshi, Uma and Advani in the Union Cabinet'', Malhotra asked.BJP leaders feel that by moving the Ayodhya motion in Lok Sabha, the Opposition had failed its motive - to drive a wedge between NDA partners, all of whom put a seal on continuance of the three Ministers in the Cabinet.
