New Delhi:
BJP veteran LK Advani today said that the party should not be apologetic about its role in the Ayodhya movement and should in fact take pride in its stand on the issue. He made these comments at a function held in the capital to celebrate the BJP's 33rd foundation day.
Mr Advani's remarks were made with reference to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's praise for him last month. Mr Singh had called Mr Advani an honest man who "never ever lied". The BJP patriarch said, "When people heard Mulayam Singh praising me, they raised concern. I believe if you say the right thing, the world will accept it. Don't hesitate... don't develop an inferiority complex. If we believe in Ayodhya (temple issue) and carried out an 'andolan' for it, don't be apologetic about it... never... we should take pride in it."
Mr Advani's famous Rath Yatra in 1992 was the centrepiece of the BJP's Ramjanmabhoomi movement, which called for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, where the Babri mosque stood. On December 6, thousands of Kar Sevaks (foot soldiers) bearing allegiance to the BJP, the VHP, and the RSS stormed the complex and demolished the mosque.
An aggressive Hindutva agenda brought political dividends for the party in the 1990s, when it first formed the government at the Centre. In recent years though, the BJP has put the temple issue and its Hindutva agenda on the backburner, focusing instead on projecting itself as a party devoted to development and good governance.
But, in a clear indication that Hindutva could be back on the BJP's agenda, party president Rajnath Singh gave key roles to hardliners such as Uma Bharti and Varun Gandhi when he announced his core team - which will steer the party through the 2014 elections - last week.