Prime Minister Cannot Escape Responsibility

Date: 
Tuesday, January 2, 2001

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The Prime Minister, in his article published in the media, has sought to explain away the partisan stand that he has taken on the Ayodhya issue. In doing so, he has utterly failed to convince anyone. It is a fact that the Prime Minister defended the Ram temple movement as an expression of national sentiment and an unfinished task. It is also a fact that he reiterated his position on the character of the movement in both the Houses of Parliament. He had gone to the extent of stating that the temple should be built at the site where the Babri Masjid stood.

All this is sought to be covered up by verbal jugglery. But the intentions are clear. First of all, it is mischievous to equate the problem in Jammu & Kashmir with that of Ayodhya. The Prime Minister has conveniently termed them both as legacies of history. The difference is that the Ayodhya dispute was deliberately raised and stoked up by the RSS combine for assaulting the secular principle and political gain. It is also utterly wrong to bracket the holy places of all religions such as the Golden Temple and Ajmer Sharif Dargah with the demand for the Ram temple by demolishing the Babri Masjid.

The Prime Minister cannot escape the responsibility of having encouraged the RSS-VHP combine to go ahead with its conspiracy to build the temple at the disputed site. The VHP is planning to announce its temple construction plans at the Kumbh Mela this month. It will be the test for the Prime Minister. He has to firmly put down any illegal activities by the VHP-RSS combine and discharge his constitutional responsibilities.