NEW DELHI, 8 March 2004 — With the much-publicized campaign tour of Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani scheduled to begin in two days, Bharatiya Janata Party stalwarts are apparently still confused on how to project their position on controversial issues like Ayodhya. Unwilling to lose support of right-wing Hindu organizations and going all out to attract the Muslim voters, the BJP is still contemplating which card should be projected before the voters — Hindutva or secularism.

To deliberate on these options, the BJP leaders held a three-hour meeting at Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s residence on Saturday attended by Advani, BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Pramod Mahajan, Murli Manohar Joshi and Jaswant Singh, among others.

During a meeting held between BJP and RSS leaders the previous day, the prime minister agreed to raise all issues of concern to the Sangh Parivar during their campaign. These include Ayodhya, abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution conferring special status on Jammu and Kashmir, a ban on cow slaughter and the introduction of a uniform civil code.

Faced with pressure from Sangh Parivar activists as well as hard-liners within its own camp, the BJP will include these issues in its “Vision Document” for the elections. BJP support from RSS workers in its campaign apparently rests on this agreement. “All ‘swayamsevaks’ (RSS workers) will help the party,” Naidu said after the meeting.

Against this backdrop, Advani has asserted that during his campaign tour, he will raise all BJP core issues, including Ayodhya. “There is no bar on my speaking on issues relating to the BJP,” he said. He would, however, focus on “good governance” and “all that we have said in our vision document (which is being drafted).”

While other members of the NDA coalition have not opposed Advani’s “campaign tour”, they have emphasized that Ayodhya will not be on the coalition’s agenda.

Defense Minister George Fernandes, who is also NDA convener and Samata Party leader, said: “Advani is going on a yatra to ask the people to vote for his party. That’s all. He is not going on any kind of pilgrimage. Every party has it way of campaigning. This is the BJP’s way of campaigning.”

“Good governance was the agenda in the last election and the same will continue this time too,” Fernandes added.

In an interview with Star television, Advani yesterday expressed confidence that the latest peace initiatives between India and Pakistan will end five decades of hostility between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

“Gradually, a stage will come when tensions between the two countries that led to three wars will become a thing of the past,” Advani said.

“Our efforts will continue for friendly ties with Pakistan and a freer movement of people between the neighboring countries,” he said.

In January, Vajpayee made a ground-breaking visit to Islamabad for talks with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on improving bilateral relations.

Advani, who is considered a hard-liner on Pakistan, said he felt the talks had been worthwhile. “If I wasn’t convinced, these things wouldn’t have happened,” he said.

The two countries came close to fighting a fourth war in 2002 after India blamed Pakistan’s spy agency and Pakistan-based militant groups for an attack on India’s Parliament in December 2001. Pakistan denied the charge.

But in recent months, the countries have restored diplomatic ties to the ambassadorial level and resumed air, bus and train links.

India and Pakistan fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a Himalayan territory claimed by both countries in its entirety. India accuses Pakistan of training and arming more than a dozen groups fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan.

Indian and Pakistani armies are observing a cease-fire across their disputed border. But the rebel groups have vowed to continue fighting Indian forces in Kashmir.

More than 65,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict there since 1989.

Advani said India had to move cautiously as rebel attacks, though less frequent, continue there.

Musharraf promised at the January talks not to support terrorism in Pakistani territory that is directed against India, and the two countries agreed to begin dialogue on the Kashmir dispute after Indian elections in April.

— Additional input from The Associated Press