NEW DELHI/FAIZABAD, 8 February 2004 — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee blew BJP’s electoral bugle yesterday committing his party to the construction of the controversial Ram temple in Ayodhya where the demolished Babri Mosque stood. Addressing the first political rally after the dissolution of the Parliament, Vajpayee said, “Give us five years’ time again and we shall complete the tasks that we have left unfinished.” These include, “construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya”, Vajpayee said. It is because BJP did not have a majority in the Parliament that it is unable to implement its agenda in full, he said.

The rally was held in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.

“To facilitate construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, there are two options — the legal process or through cooperation,” Vajpayee said. Emphasizing that the task “should be accomplished without any obstruction,” he said, “the court process is too long and tedious.” Besides, no one knows where would it lead us. The other option, he said, is that of wisdom and cooperation. We should all sit together and find a solution, Vajpayee specified.

Before Vajpayee’s address, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh said, “We are committed to the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.” Describing the forthcoming elections as a “major religious ritual,” Singh, who was welcomed back into the BJP fold recently, said that under Vajpayee’s leadership it should be possible for the party to complete this task.

Ironically, less than a year ago on June 20, 2003, Kalyan Singh had blamed Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani for the demolition of the Babri Mosque.

Agencies Add: Hindu activists say the Babri Mosque was constructed by the Muslim Emperor Babar after he demolished a temple marking the birthplace of Ram.

It was during Kalyan Singh;s tenure as the UP chief minister that a mob, allegedly including leaders of Vajpayee’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), razed the mosque in 1992, setting off nationwide riots that left more than 2,000 people dead. The courts have since been charged with weighing Hindu and Muslim claims to the site.

The BJP rose to power from near oblivion a decade ago with a call to “reconstruct” the Ayodhya temple as its main poll plank.

The party has played down the Ayodhya campaign since coming to power and is hoping to be re-elected on the back of booming economic growth, which was triggered by a bountiful monsoon.

Indian President Abdul Kalam dissolved Parliament Friday on Vajpayee’s advice, paving the way for elections in April or May.

But analysts say the temple campaign can still secure the BJP votes from its hard-line base and particularly in Ayodhya’s state, Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for 80 seats in the 545-member Parliament, more than any other province.

Vajpayee, whose constituency is in Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow, told the rally that his government was making peace with Pakistan with the renewed dialogue between the rival neighbors and a border cease-fire in disputed Kashmir.

“Bullets are not being exchanged at the borders. We had extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan and first they were hesitating. Now we are going to solve all our problems through talks,” Vajpayee said.

“What is to be gained by fighting? We have to fight poverty and unemployment and for that we should utilize our wealth for the development of people,” Vajpayee said.