BJP to challenge court order

Advani to visit Ayodhya to mollify Sangh parivar

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today said the Allahabad High Court order on continuation of trial against party president LK Advani in the Ayodhya demolition case might be challenged in the Supreme Court, Advani himself refused to term the order as a setback, saying "koi dikkat ki baat nahin hai (There is nothing to worry about)"

"The case has been going on for years, will go on for some more time. There are others also named in the case along with me, and it is for the lawyers to work on the case. I have very little to do," he said. The BJP chief also said the court order would not harm the party. "It will not affect the party in any way," Advani said.

"There are lacunae in the high court judgement. It may be challenged in the Supreme Court," BJP spokesperson Sushma Swaraj told reporters here. However, a final decision on this would be taken after the full judgement is received and studied by lawyers, she added.

Maintaining that cases against Advani were "political and not criminal," she said continuation or stopping of these do not affect the BJP president politically.

The Allahabad High Court had yesterday set aside a Rae Bareli court's order discharging Advani from the Babri masjid demolition case.

Advani took on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the latter's remark that attempts were being made to play "petty politics" over the attack on the Ram Janmabhoomi structure in Ayodhya, by suspected terrorists on Tuesday. Advani, who visited CRPF jawans injured in the attack, said the BJP was vocalising the "feelings of the people" and it was not an attempt to play politics with the issue.

In fact, after denying the possibility of his visiting Ayodhya in the near future, Advani announced that he would be visiting the temple town tomorrow. Advani's flip flop over the dates of his visit has more to do with the BJP's equation with the RSS than anything else, sources say.

According to sources close to Advani, the BJP president does not feel that anything can be gained by visiting the temple, especially since he has tried to move beyond the mandir issue.

However, looking at the deteriorating relations between Advani and the RSS, this is being seen as a move aimed at effecting a rapproachment between the two.

"The temple issue is no longer as potent as it was earlier, Advani's visit and the Jai Shri Ram he shouted at yesterday's protest meet in Delhi are aimed more for the internal consumption of the Sangh parivar rather than the masses at large," said a source.

In fact, three days after the attack it has been made clear that the BJP's political salvation no longer lies with the temple issue. "It is, in fact, the perfect time for an interospection even better than the 2004 defeat," said a senior party leader.

"Even the RSS will have to acknowledge that the temple issue has now cooled down," said the leader.

The BJP is also keen not to throw the temple issue on their allies, the Janata Dal (United)'s faces especially before the elections in Bihar. "The JD(U) wants to fight the election as a campaign against Laluraj, and not the Hindu-Muslim divide, the temple issue in this situation just does not fit," said a BJP legislators from Bihar.

For Advani, is mired in court cases regarding the Ayodhya movement, it would be a bittersweet visit, one where he wont be even sure of the welcome he is to receive.