The Hindu : No need for PMO: Singhal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 23, 2002

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No need for PMO: Singhal

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI OCT. 22. "There is no need for the Prime Minister's Office. What is the need for the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister (Brajesh Mishra) when there is a Cabinet Secretary? '' This was what the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, Ashok Singhal, said here today as he launched another concerted attack on the PMO, and blamed it for the "rift'' and the "distance'' that had been created between the Sangh Parivar and the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee.

It was the PMO which gave harsh orders during the `shila poojan' at Ayodhya in March, Mr. Singhal said. "The Prime Minister might not have been aware of what had been going on in his office for 15 days during March this year.''

Mr. Singhal, however, gave the Deputy Prime Minster and Union Home Minister, L. K. Advani, a good conduct chit, saying "he had no role to play, I don't want to say anything about him (unka koi role nahin tha ...unke bare mein mujhe kuch nahin kahna).''

Denying that the VHP had demanded or suggested anything to the Prime Minister on the Ayodhya issue, Mr. Singhal said that if Mr. Vajpayee wanted to improve relations with the VHP ``he should do something'' to resolve the Ayodhya issue. And by that, the VHP invariably means that land should be handed over to the trust run by it and construction on the disputed site allowed.

Mr. Singhal said he had enjoyed a very "sweet relationship (madhur sambandh)'' with Mr. Vajpayee, but the PMO spoilt it. Should Mr. Mishra be removed? Mr. Singhal responded: "It is for the Prime Minister to take a decision.''

Another "issue'' which had soured the relations between the Sangh Parivar and the BJP was trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir. "Yes, it is true''— it did result in increasing the distance. Even now, Mr. Vajpayee could mend the relations. "We will have to take forward the issue of creating three separate states (by dividing Jammu and Kashmir) and giving the Union Territory status to Ladakh,'' he said.

Mr. Singhal demanded that the Congress apologise for "heaping all kinds of insults on us over several years.'' He blamed that party for the recent "violent demonstrations'' against the VHP, in the wake of the foul language used by the VHP leader, Pravin Togadia, against the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi. "If anything were to happen to Mr. Togadia, the results will not be good for the country,'' he warned adding that `jehadis' were in the Congress and they could do anything. And if Mr. Togadia was harmed, "anything can happen.'' As for Mr. Vajpayee, all that his officials said was that the Prime Minister had taken note of Mr. Singhal's remarks.

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