RSS fans VHP’s Ayodhya flames

The Supreme Court’s indictment of the Modi government may have been shrugged off by the RSS as a ‘‘general observation to all...

The Supreme Court’s indictment of the Modi government may have been shrugged off by the RSS as a ‘‘general observation to all states,’’ but on the issue of the temple, it got serious. When in a clear signal to its cadres across the country, the RSS today pledged its ‘‘full support’’ to the proposed VHP stir.

The high-power committee of the VHP on Ramjanmabhoomi is scheduled to announce its stepped-up ‘‘agitation plan’’ here on Monday.

The public announcement of the RSS support to the agitation comes close on the heels of a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and Sarsanghchalak K S Sudarshan last Sunday.

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The RSS chief had asked Advani to explore the legislative option to facilitate the construction of a temple arguing that the ASI report on excavations had left the opponents of the temple ‘‘with no case.’’

He had asked him to keep the present UP scene in view and avert a confrontation with the VHP. Advani, followed up the temple-theme by declaring at Bangalore on September 10 that the ASI findings were a ‘‘vindication of the BJP view-point’’ on Ayodhya.

RSS spokesman Ram Madhav told reporters: ‘‘The only option now is for political parties to come together and find a legislative solution to this problem. There will be a massive mobilisation of popular will for the construction of Ram temple by the VHP. We call upon the patriotic countrymen to participate in this peaceful and constitutional agitation and convey the sentiments of crores of our people in favour of the temple to the political establishment.’’

Madhav stopped short of giving any specific call to the BJP and persisted with an appeal to all parties. When pointed out that the BJP alone was committed to the temple and other parties were under no obligation to support its agenda, Madhav maintained that ‘‘for us all parties are equal.’’

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He said an attempt should be made to build a consensus on the issue on the pattern of the efforts made over the Women’s Reservation Bill.

The RSS spokesman refused to give an outline of the proposed agitation arguing that it will be worked out by the VHP. A reporter pointed at the ascendance of Mulayam Singh Yadav as the UP chief minister and sought to know if there would be a repetition of 1991. He said, ‘‘There is a difference between 1991 and 2004. We believe that many people would have learnt their lessons from history.’’

Madhav’s remark implies that the tempo of the agitation would be fully built up in 2004. Incidentally, the Lok Sabha polls are due next year.

With the elections at hand, the ideal scenario for the BJP would be to have Advani and Ashok Singhal pitted on one side and Mulayam on the other.