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Allies upset with govt's stand on puja

The Centre's stand in the Supreme Court in favour of a bhoomi pujan on the acquired land adjacent to the disputed site in Ayodhya has stirred a hornet's nest among its allies with the Telugu Desam Party and the Trinamul Congress calling it "objectionable".

"Government has taken the stand without any consultations with its allies and partners," an angry Trinamul Congress president Mamata Banerjee told reporters in the capital. "It should not have happened like that. This is NDA [National Democratic Alliance] government and not BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] government. This is objectionable."

TDP Parliamentary Party leader K Yerran Naidu spoke in a similar tone.

Banerjee, who held consultations with Yerran Naidu, indicated that the BJP's allies would hold discussions among themselves on the issue.

"Other allies will also come with us," she said when asked whether they planned to have consultations with the other constituents of the NDA.

TDP spokesman C Ramchandraiah said the government's stand in the apex court showed that it "identified" itself with one party in the dispute, which is "not good".

Ramchandraiah said the Supreme Court's order had vindicated the stand taken by the TDP. He said his party was totally against the performance of any puja because of the "volatile" situation in the country.

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Vaiko said the court had done the right thing in the interests of the country. "I heave a sigh of relief as the judgment has come at the right moment to strengthen secularism and democracy," he said.

Asked about the government's stand favouring the bhoomi pujan, he said he would not like to comment on it till he had found out whether the attorney general had made the statement on his own or in reply to a query.

PTI

The Ayodhya Issue: Complete Coverage

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