Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has begun a quiet consolidation of all sections of the party and the government whose support is necessary to fight a general election.
The clearest indication that the Prime Minister is moving into poll mode came at the cremation of Mahant Ramchandradas Paramhans when he declared that a temple would be built in Ayodhya.
This has sent a frisson of exhilaration among Sangh elements, even those who had become demoralised and cynical at being repeatedly betrayed by the BJP on its Ayodhya promises.
At one stroke his statement has isolated the critics of the Prime Minister in the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Away from the glare of newspapers, the Prime Minister has been sending the Sangh messages in a code only they will understand.
Speaking at the cremation of Sangh ideologue Rajju Bhaiyya at Pune, the Prime Minister referred to a controversy about narrow hindutva and recalled that Rajju Bhaiyya had supported his position publicly.
