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NDA capitulates to the BJP |
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The National Democratic Alliance at its meeting on Monday (Nov. 15) virtually agreed wholehog to the policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party regarding the Ayodhya issue. In a shift from its earlier stand, the NDA said that it preferred a negotiated settlement of the Ayodhya temple issue considering the delays inherent in the country’s judicial process. Earlier, then the NDA had maintained that the Ayodhya issue should be resolved through either a judicial verdict or dialogue. The meeting was essentially called to consider the apprehensions of allies like the Janata Dal United and the Akali Dal over the BJP going hawkish on the Ram Temple issue. Statements and reactions from NDA constituents before the meeting had suggested that BJP president L.K. Advani would meet with disapproval for his recent pronouncements on the Ram Temple. But the allies quietly toed the BJP chief’s line that judiciary could not be involved in the resolution of the Ayodhya conflict. Observers say that there were some words in the resolution about the need to balance the aspirations of the majority with the concerns of the minority, but that was only lip service paid to the secular cause. The meeting indicated that even out of power, the BJP continues to be the boss in the NDA.
The coming Assembly elections in Bihar and Jharkhand appear to have played a big role in the NDA constituents deciding to hang together. Driven by the urgency ahead of the elections in the two states, the allies called upon anti-Rashtriya Janata Dal forces to unite to emancipate Bihar from what they called the corrupt and anti-people RJD-Congress rule.
BJP president Advani is understood to have explained to other leaders that his statement in the BJP national council on October 27 was a mere “reiteration” of the party’s stand on Ayodhya. He said the BJP preferred a negotiated settlement between Hindus and Muslims as a perfect solution to the end of the imbroglio.
In turn, JDU leaders are understood to have explained that their national executive resolution - which was critical of the BJP - was an expression of anxiety among its workers over Hindutva becoming a vital issue under the new BJP establishment and causing loss of votes in Bihar.
It was left to NDA convener George Fernandes to explain that the differences within the alliance arose out of the media’s interpretation of Advani’s remarks rather than the actual shifting of positions within the BJP.
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