HVK Archives: Re: Do you hear anyone talk about reconstructing the mosque?
Re: Do you hear anyone talk about reconstructing the mosque? - The Indian Express
Posted By ashok (ashokvc@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in)
29 September 1996
Title : "Do you hear anyone talking about constructing
the mosque?"
Author :
Publication : The Indian Express
Date : September 29, 1996
Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is busy again,
campaigning for his party in Uttar Pradesh. He criss-
crosses the state and stops to address the waiting
crowds. The importance of his mission is underscored
when he tells people, "The outcome of the Assembly elec-
tions will determine the fate of the government in Delhi.
"
It is his firm belief that national leadership will
emerge only from the ranks of the BJP as and when Uttar
Pradesh regains its pre-eminence in national politics.
For the first time, he also appeared to come out of his
shell of self-imposed modesty when he declared "I am not
bhoot (past) but the present and want to be the future"
to an approving audience in Indore before he embarked on
the UP campaign. He talked to Neeraj Mishra in the fop-
tner British Resident Commissioner's suite at the Resi-
dency in Indore over breakfast of jalebis and tea. Ex-
cerpts:
You recently accepted that your party is plagued with
factionalism.
The headline was misleading. But I believe that as a
people we do not know how to work together. It's a na-
tional malaise. Historically we have not mixed well-
culturally or socially. Things would have been different
only if we knew how to work together. As for the BJP,
proximity to power has its own difficulties. we will soon
learn to cope with them.
Have you been pushed into a corner by all other parties?
No one seems willing to align with your party?
There's no question of being pushed into a corner. There
are some regional parties who are now willing to align
themselves with the BJP-the HVP, the Samata Party and
Akali Dal for instance. As people and parties realise
that they have been prey to false propaganda of our
opponents, they will come to us. There are some more
regional parties in the north-east and else where who
have broken the ice with us. An alignment can work best
if both parties learn to accommodate each other for which
it may be necessary to not press very hard on a few of
our own issues. We did not include Article 370 in the
Presidential address for similar reasons.
Yet all alignments in UP are targeting you.
Other parties are afraid of us.
Ayodhya...
Today we set the national agenda. Do you hear anyone
talking about constructing a mosque in Ayodhya. It is
because everyone has realised that it is the wish of the
people, and a fact. Similarly they will come round on
other issues.
The UF government says that it will refer the issue to
Supreme Court..
No court can decide the Ayodhya issue. It is not a
property dispute. It can only be resolved through talks
or by passing in Parliament. And can any party pass a law
in the House to construct a mosque in Ayodhya?
What difference will Ajit Singh's BKKP make in UP?
No difference at all. Ajit Singh is a saleable commodi-
ty. What difference can he make? He is a figment of
United Front's imagination. People in UP have realised
the futility of a Morcha-type experiment at the Centre.
They do not want a repeat performance in their state.
("Is it made with Dalda?" Vajpayee asks as he reaches for
another jalebi. One of the elderly local party leaders
informs that it is made of pure ghee. "Kitna per cent
hai. 25 percent? Aaj kal sab aisa hi hai," Vajpayee says
and laughs.)
You have lamented about the marginalisation of UP in
national politics of late, yet you support the demands
for a separate Uttarakhand which will divide the state
further?
UP has certainly been marginalised but I mean marginali-
sation in terms of leadership. All through the initial
years after Independence, leaders from UP provided
stability to the country which is so important to econom-
ic growth. True they were all from the Congress but
their depleting numbers has meant that UP today is bur-
dened with leaders like Mulayam Singh and Mayawati. It
is at the mercy of BSP. (pauses) I think the new leader-
ship in UP will emerge from the ranks of the BJP and they
will be able to fill the gap. As far as Uttarakhand is
concerned, it is a geographical division of the state and
it is necessary in the present circumstances.
While taking up issues like Article 370 and uniform civil
code you have never spelt out your party's political
agenda? Isn't it against minorities?
We are against appeasement, not minorities. We are
against appeasement of all kinds, whether it is towards
the minorities or the majority community. I am also
personally opposed to any minorityism or majorityism. We
should run the state without discrimination or favouri-
tism. Allegations such as these are basically spread by
the so-called secular parties. Their only aim is to
create a fear psychosis in the minds of the minorities.
Why is no one talking about their educational problems or
emancipation of women? I will give you a small example.
The Congress government at the Centre had announced the
formation of a finance corporation to help Muslims. It
was to have started with an initial sum of Rs 500 crore.
Ultimately, only a token corporation got underway with a
capital of Rs 5 crore. When the corporation was an-
nounced, Hindus thought they were discriminated against
and all benefits were being enjoyed by Muslims while the
Muslims actually got nothing. It is such hoodwinking
that has brought the Congress to its present sorry state.
Vaghela has held L.K. Advani responsible for `all the
ills in the party today' ?
Vaghela is not with us anymore and is therefore a forgot-
ten chapter. I don't answer his allegations. Still I
would like to tell you all decisions pertaining to Gujar-
at were taken collectively by all senior leaders of the
party and no single individual can be held responsible.
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