The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday supported the Sangh Parivar demand for a law to construct Ram temple in Ayodhya but said its passage would not be possible in Parliament without the support of the National Democratic Alliance allies and Congress Party.
In its much-awaited resolution on Ayodhya, adopted on the second day of the party's national executive in Raipur, the BJP said that even though the common agenda of NDA makes no mention of a legislative initiative to resolve the temple issue, the party was of the view that this alternative should be explored, highly placed party sources told PTI.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani and other top party brass were present when the resolution was adopted, the sources said.
The resolution while supporting the legislative option, however, said if it is to be 'fruitful', the NDA allies and especially the opposition Congress Party would have to extend their support to it.
While reaffirming the party's view that it favoured construction of a Ram Temple at the janamsthan (disputed site) it said the present arithmetic in Parliament was not in favour of a legislation.
The resolution also emphasised on an early solution to the vexed issue through dialogue or judiciary.
The resolution comes close on the heels of intense pressure on the BJP from its Sangh Parivar associates, the RSS and VHP, to bring in a law on the issue.
Initially, party general secretaries Pramod Mahajan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi drafted the resolution.
However, after consultations with Vajpayee, Advani and party president Venkaiah Naidu, a subcommittee, comprising Union ministers Murli Manohar Joshi and Arun Jaitley, besides parliamentary party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra, was formed which gave final touches to the resolution today.
