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No request for deployment of
army in Ayodhya: Governor

Uttar Pradesh Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri on Saturday denied that a request has been made to deploy army in Ayodhya.

He was referring to a statement made by Defence Minister George Fernandes early in the day in New Delhi in this connection.

"I never sent any requisition to the Ministry of Defence or anywhere else for the deployment of army in Ayodhya," Shastri told reporters in Lucknow.

He said the caretaker government of Rajnath Singh, before the President's rule was imposed in the state, had requested that the army be kept on alert to deal with any eventuality in the temple town. "Never was a request for deployment made," he said.

Hoping that a 'healthy solution' would be soon found to the Ayodhya tangle, Shastri said: "I do not deny that Ayodhya is the most prominent of all issues in my list of priorities as it has sentiments of millions of people of this country attached to it."

He listed law and order, peace and a more effective administration as his other 'top priorities.'

About government formation in the state, the governor was quite explicit. "Mine is only a stop-gap arrangement and I would keep my door open to all political parties coming forward with substantive proof of the desired numbers," he said.

While clarifying on the inevitability of President's rule in the state, he hinted that had the Congress extended its support to the Samajwadi Party, he would have had no hesitation in inviting the latter to form the government.

"One party, which was being seen as the most likely supporter of the SP, avoided to come out with any clear stand. Its leader came and pleaded that since his party leadership was pre-occupied with the events unfolding in Gujarat, they were not in a position to come out with any decision," he said.

The Ayodhya Issue: Complete Coverage

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