FAIZABAD, Feb 6: Barely 7 km from the site where the Babri Masjid once stood, to slogans of Jai Sri Ram, BJP President L K Advani began his election campaign in Uttar Pradesh today.``For me, there could have been no better place than this to launch my election campaign in this state,'' he said. ``The Ram temple issue has played a major role in building my political and social status.''
Though the crowd wasn't large, its response to Advani was warm; many cheered him and raised pro-temple slogans. ``There has been no agitation since 1947 like the Ayodhya movement,'' Advani said, ``and the issue of building a temple there is the priority for the BJP.''
Recalling his yatra days of 1990 for ``liberation of the Ayodhya shrine,'' Advani said: ``Today, there is no controversy that there was a temple in Ayodhya. But six years ago, there was a structure at the site.''
However, he quickly added that Muslims' perception of the BJP has changed. ``The Muslims have now realised,'' he claimed, ``that they were usedas vote bank by all parties. While the BJP stresses on social harmony, other party's emphasis remains on social tension,'' he said, accusing Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav of trying to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims.
BJP candidate Vinay Katiyar, former Bajrang Dal chief, is seeking a hat trick from Faizabad. Pitted against him is the Samajwadi Party candidate Mitrasen Yadav, against whom several cases are pending.
For many state BJP leaders, the peaceful Azadari procession in Lucknow this year has come as a handy reference to show that the party isn't anti-Muslim. Advani, too, did not lag behind. ``The Kalyan government in Uttar Pradesh has proved,'' he claimed, ``that the BJP is serious in resolving the issues of Muslims as well.''
The BJP chief also demanded that Sonia Gandhi should reveal names of the beneficiaries in the Bofors deal. ``A spokesman of the Swedish Government has clearly said that Sonia Gandhi was in the know of Bofors beneficiaries. Now, Sonia herself shouldreveal the names he demanded.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
