BJP in a fix over VHP diatribe

NEW DELHI: Though distinctly embarrassed by the VHP''s continuing tirade against the NDA government and the PM on the Ayodhya issue, the BJP finds itself in a bind about how it should silence the outspoken leaders of its sister organisation.
There is growing belief in the BJP that it will be difficult for the party to make Ayodhya its primary poll plank in the next Lok Sabha election as the 1991 Ram wave cannot be revived.
But it is unable to tell this to the VHP which has been at the forefront of the Ram temple movement. At the same time, the BJP cannot forsake the issue completely as that will alienate its committed vote-bank. This is the reason that the BJP has not openly condemned the VHP tirade. When pushed, its spokesperson Prakash Javadekar on Friday expressed his disapproval of the VHP''s personalised attack against the PM but, at the same time, stated the BJP also wants that the Ram temple be constructed at Ayodhya.
Unable to rein in the VHP leaders, the BJP has been depending on the RSS to play a mediatory role. So far, the Sangh has met with little succcess. On the contrary, the RSS has even backed the VHP as the Sangh is also in no position to jettison its Hindutva agenda and distance itself from the mandir issue.
In fact, barely two days before the RSS leaders are to meet in Kanyakumari to discuss the Kanchi Shankaracharya''s proposals on the Ayodhya issue, VHP''s international president Ashok Singhal lashed out at the PM and demanded his resignation for his failure to enact a Central legislation for the construction of the Ram temple.
Senior BJP leaders maintain the VHP is basically a non-political body and its leaders do not realise that the Ram temple issue will not necesssarily return the BJP to power in the next elections.
``If that was the case, we would voluntarily resign and seek a fresh mandate,'''' commented a senior party leader, adding that even after the Babri Masjid demolition, the BJP lost in four states and all seats surrounding Ayodhya. ``Emotive issues like Ayodhya or even Sonia Gandhi''s foreign origins cannot be used repeatedly,'''' said a BJP leader.
Pointing to the waning interest in this issue, a BJP leader said unlike 1991, when there was an unprecedented demand from party cadres for Sadhvi Rithambara because of her fiery speeches, there are few takers for her oratory now.
At the same time, BJP sources say the party cannot - and will not - put the Ram temple on the backburner as it also has to consider its core constituency which identifies the party with this issue. ``Ayodhya has always figured in our election manifesto and will continue to do so. It may not be the number one on our agenda but it is very much there... we cannot disown the issue,'''' said another BJP leader.
While waiting for the Sangh to contain the VHP, the BJP justifies its inability to meet the VHP''s demand by stating that on its own, it does not have a majority in Parliament. Reacting to Ashok Singhal''s latest diatribe against Vajpayee, BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan also pointed out that the NDA government is bound by the National Agenda for Governance (NAG) which clearly states that the Ayodhya issue be resolved either through negotiations or a judicial verdict.