Oppn slams BJP's 'communal' turn

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today condemned the "communal message" coming out of the National Council meeting of the BJP in Lucknow where the party said it was committed to building a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The party had also decided to make "Muslim appeasement" its main plank in the Uttar Pradesh elections.

"The political resolution harps on Muslim appeasement and warns that this could lead to second partition of India. The arguments put forth are reminiscent of how the Hindu communal platform stayed away from the national movement for Independence," said a CPI(M) statement. It warned that "the results of such a rabidly communal platform can be serious," even though the party claimed that the BJP was out of sync with the general mood of the people.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who had arrested leader of Opposition LK Advani at the height of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, also attacked the BJP for raking up the Ram temple issue. He said it was a "gimmick" to regain power.

The RJD chief, speaking in Varanasi, said the BJP was trying to throw the entire country into a communal frenzy yet again by seeking to polarise the society on the Ayodhya issue.

While Lalu described former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a liberal politician, he accused LK Advani of being a fundamentalist. "Vajpayee rose to the pinnacle of political hierarchy due to his stature as the liberal face of the saffron party while Advani always remained as a face of the party," he said.

He also attacked the Mulayam Singh Yadav government in UP for deteriorating law and order situation and lack of development and said his party would work with the Congress to throw the Samajwadi party government out of power.

He said the RJD would contest seats in eastern UP and support Congress candidates on the remaining seats.

Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad today welcomed the statement of BJP President Rajnath Singh on construction of Ram mandir at Ayodhya.

"I congratulate Rajnath Singh for his statement that if the BJP returns to power, it will bring a legislation to build the temple," VHP international general secretary Pravin Togadia told a Hindu sammelan at Gandhinagar as part of the centenary celebrations of RSS leader Guru Madhavrao Gowalkar.