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Ram temple out for now, clarifies Govindacharya

Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary K N Govindacharya tonight clarified that the party is committed to the basic document of the National Agenda for Governance which does not contain any contentious issues like construction of a Ram temple, abrogation of Article 370, and enactment of a uniform civil code.

Terming certain media reports contrary to this stand as "distorted and misleading", Govindacharya said the BJP, even if it gets a majority on its own, would form the government under senior leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee taking all the allies along.

Such a government will occupy its five-year term with fulfilling the promises in the NAG, he said.

Govindacharya said the BJP's commitment to the NDA was sincere and strong and the honesty of the coalition demands that the minimum agreed programme okayed by all members of the NDA be executed.

He described as wild and baseless the Congress accusation that the moratorium put on contentious issues while formulating the NAG is an 'eyewash'.

He said the BJP's track record during the last government bears testimony to the fact that no contentious issue was raked up by the party at any point of time.

Refuting today's media reports, Govindacharya said, "These reports give a wrong impression of the BJP's views on the matter, which are clearly spelt out in the common manifesto of the NDA."

"What I had stated was that the BJP had left out these contentious issues from the national agenda of governance in 1998 itself. Similarly, other constituents of the BJP-led ruling coalition had left out some of their distinctive issues from the national agenda," the general secretary said.

He said, "I had clearly stated that the BJP, which is a leading constituent of the NDA, is bound by the common manifesto of the NDA. This manifesto clearly commits all parties in the NDA to put 'a moratorium' on contentious issues".

The BJP would not detract from this commitment, he said, adding that the reports had failed to highlight this categorical affirmation made by him.

UNI

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