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Congress slams PMO official's involvement in receiving shila daan

The party also asked why a senior PMO official had to receive the shila (carved pillar for proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya) from the Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas (trust).

Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address, the leader of the opposition said while there was no substitute for firm and resolute action on the issue, the prime minister and his colleagues have 'neither the will nor the capacity to deal with the VHP's blackmail'.

Alleging that the BJP-led coalition took a 'U-turn' in the matter, she said the explanation for such a somersault lay in the fact that several BJP MPs, in a letter to the prime minister on March seven, threatened his government with 'dire consequences'.

She said the 'U-turn' was reflected in the government first asking state governments to prevent all karsevaks from proceeding to Ayodhya but later telling them to provide police protection to those going towards the pilgrim town.

In her 30-minute speech, the Congress president accused the BJP-led coalition of 'caving in' to communal forces while overlooking national interests.

Claiming that the letter from BJP MPs led to change in the mind of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Gandhi said this resulted in the Attorney General being asked to intervene in the matter in the Supreme Court.

She said people of the country felt that the prime minister and his government were 'neutral' to the VHP's March 15 plan till Attorney General Soli Sorabjee came up with a proposal to allow a symbolic puja in the acquired land in Ayodhya.

Gandhi said the proposal shocked the nation and exposed the 'duplicity of the government agenda'.

The party also expressed strong objection to the manner in which a senior PMO official got involved in the shila daan incident.

"I don't know what role the government officer has to play in the religious function. I also do not know what this government official will do with the shila," party spokesman S Jaipal Reddy told reporters in Delhi.

Meanwhile, CPI-M general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet accused the government of being hand in glove with the VHP on the issue of the construction of the Ram temple.

Speaking to rediff.com, he pointed to Shatrughan Singh - in charge of the Ayodhya cell in the prime minister's office (PMO) - being sent to Ayodhya as proof that the VHP and BJP have a common agenda on the issue.

The Ayodhya Issue: Complete Coverage

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