Advani was delivering the third Durga Das Memorial lecture on `India - its Unity, Integrity and Security' where he hinted at a possible resolution of the ongoing debate.

``This was a solution which was suggested by Rafiq Zakaria, a veteran Congressmen when he had come to see me about six years ago. All this while I kept quiet about it but now I feel that this suggestion merits a serious debate,''said Advani.

He expressed happiness over the fact that distinguished judges of the Supreme Court were present in the audience. ``There need not be any legalquibbling about it: Whether the reference should be under this or that article of the Constitution. The judges should be requested to determine the fact of the temple's existence. The religious position is clear,'' he said quoting Zakaria.

``Though the National Agenda for Governance had consciously kept the Ayodhya issue out of its perview, our government will welcome any initiative to amicably resolve the issue,'' he said.

He expressed dissatisfaction at the fact that his statement on December 6 1998 expressing unhappiness over the incident six years ago were seen as belated wisdom. ``Some even insinuated that my statement were insincere but I will remind them of the article which I had written immediately after my arrest in The Indian Express,'' he said quoting the lines which had said ``It was the most depressing day of my life'' and he had felt ``dejected and downcast''.

He, however, clarified that the Ayodhya movement had made strides in promoting secularism but not the Ayodhyaincident.

In an unusually candid mood, he said that he been constantly attacked by the opposition in the Parliament about the minorities feeling insecure. ``The seeds were sown by the Muslim leaders before the Partition when they had instilled a feeling in the Muslims that the Gandhiji's and Nehruji's India would be unsafe for them. They were accusing the senior Congress leaders of the same thing,'' he said.

His speech was peppered with the world `secularism' and how his ideology was basically one Nation and one Culture. ``Can hue and cry over Sanskrit and lighting of lamps be justified? We have been surviving on a vague idea of secularism where the country parts away with there culture,'' he said.

He admitted that the country could not be categorically said that it was secure as internal security is now inextricably linked to border security. Advani reassured all the minorities that his ideology has equal respect for all religion.