15 Nov 2002
VHP SHUNS PM'S APPEAL TO CALL
OFF YATRA
From Our Delhi Burau
NEW
DELHI: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday issued a public
appeal to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad not to defy the Election
Commission's ban on its yatra but VHP leader Dr Pravin Togadia
rejected even his appeal, asserting that the religious yatra would be
carried out come what may.
Though Vajpayee's appeal was not
directly addressed to VHP, it was apparently meant for none except
VHP. The appeal was to "all organisations" to honour the
ban, saying the Godhra train burning and the post-Godhra violence
should not be made an election issue in Gujarat.
"I urge
all political parties and organisations to focus their election
campaign on issues of development and governance and not on matters
that vitiate the atmosphere. I do hope that after the State
Government's decision all concerned would work towards peaceful
conclusion of the polls," he said.
Even while Deputy
Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani refused to comment on VHP's
defiance of the ban when asked at a Press conference in Ranchi on
Friday pleding that he would not say anything since he was part of
the government, the BJP also tried to underplay the Prime Minister's
appeal by not even referring to it at the daily Press briefing.
Only
when pressed to comment on the PM's appeal that party spokesman
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the BJP does not favour going to polls over
dead bodies and as such it would appeal also to the Congress not to
give communal colour to the elections by raising the post-Godhra
violence in its poll campaign.
Only a day earlier, another
spokesman Arun Jaitley had sought to justify VHP depicting the Godhra
train burning in its proposed "Yatra", pointing out that
the Election Commission had not objected in 1984 when the Congress
went to polls with posters of blood spread all over the dead body of
Indira Gandhi and again posters showing assassination of Stain and
his two sons in Orissa during the state assembly elections.
"I
appeal to all organisations to honour this directive issued by the
Constitutional authority and help the state administration in
discharing its duty," Vajpayee said in a statement, pointing out
that "the Government of Gujarat has done the right thing by
acting as per the directive of the Election Commission to prohibit
religious processions in the state ahead of the Assembly elections on
December 12."
Clearly disapproving with the BJP criticism
of the Commission's decision, the Prime Minister said: "On the
face of it the decision might look wrong but given the circumstances
in Gujarat, the ban order is all right."
While Jaitley
had stressed that the Election Commission cannot set rules of the
debate during the polls clamping restrictions on freeom of speech,
the Prime Minister said: "With elections less than a month away,
it is natural for political and social organisations to want to go
among the people and conduct their campaign. It is their democratic
right."
"However, it is also the democratic duty of
one and all to exercise it in a lawful way. Even protest has to be
expressed in a peaceful manner without inflaming passions. It is only
through scrupulous obedience of the law that we can enhance the
prestige and efficacy of our democracy," he said.
Vajpayee
said anyway the people of Gujarat would give their verdict soon and
there was no need for making allegations and counter
allegations.
Meanwhile, in an interview to "Aaj Tak"
TV channel, Vajpayee said the Gujarat Government had initially given
permission to VHP for the Yatra but the same was withdrawn after
assessing the situation and in view of the Election Commission's
directing not to allow the Yatra that may create communal
tension.
"I hope all parties and outfits will abide by
it," the Prime Minister told "Aaj Tak," and said he
was in constant touch with the Gujarat Government and had advised
everyone to concentrate on the polls and not take any steps that may
fan passions and disrupt the poll process.
On the path chosen
by VHP, Vajpayee said "it is difficult to say what it will
do..... But I feel things will settle down with attention being
focused on the elections." To a question about degeneration in
Gujarat politics, he said "it was happening all over the country
and not just in Gujarat." Regarding the poll campaign in the
state, Vajpayee said elections should be fought on development issues
and not by inflaming emotions.
He asserted that Godhra cannot
and should not be made an election issue. "If it is done, it
will look like there is no other issue and votes are being played
with like a toy." Expressing the hope that the elections will
usher in a "new beginning" for Gujarat, the Prime Minister
said it should bring communal harmony and end political instability
in the state. END