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Opposition, allies seek stern action in Ayodhya, Gujarat

Concerned over repercussions of the Godhra violence, opposition parties and several allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday asked the Centre to take firm steps to tackle the situation in Gujarat and defuse the tension in Ayodhya by preventing karsevaks from converging there.

"What is happening in Gujarat amounts to a collapse of the law enforcement machinery. We will hold Gujarat government squarely responsible for whatever is happening there," Congress Spokesman S Jaipal Reddy said, adding the BJP's responsibility was 'far greater' as it was ruling both the Centre and the state.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, along with senior leaders, met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to express the party's anguish over the Gujarat situation and the tension in Ayodhya.

After a 30-minute meeting at the prime minister's residence, senior party leaders Kamal Nath, Manmohan Singh and Arjun Singh told reporters that Vajpayee promised them to take all necessary steps to restore normalcy.

Denying charges that some Congressmen were behind Wednesday's incidents, Kamal Nath said it was absolutely false.

The matter did not figure in their meeting with the prime minister. He also denied that the councillors arrested by the Gujarat Police belonged to Congress.

In a joint statement, all four left parties cautioned government against 'another disruptive event' in Ayodhya and gave a call for observing March 6 as a Day for National Unity.

The Left as well as some of BJP's allies have sought the Centre's intervention to stop VHP's mobilisation at Ayodhya.

Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav demanded that disturbed areas in Gujarat be handed over to the army and that the Centre act immediately initiating concrete steps to bring peace in the state.

Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati said it was the responsibility of the government of the day to tackle the situation following VHP's plans of temple construction.

Former prime minister V P Singh said the VHP's stubborn attitude should not culminate in destroying peace and that government should take necessary administrative measures to deal with the situation in Ayodhya.

Chief minister designate of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa described the Godhra violence as 'barbaric' and said it was 'very strange and saddening' to note that when such acts were perpetrated against minorities, all political leaders rushed to issue statements condemning such acts.

Meanwhile, the NDA allies also asked the Centre to take firm steps to defuse tension in Ayodhya and prevent recurrence of violence in any other part of the country.

In Kolkata, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee sought the Centre's intervention to defuse tension at Ayodhya in the 'absence' of a stable government in Uttar Pradesh and suggested army deployment there.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi said the Centre and state governments should take 'precautionary' steps to prevent continuance of this type of violence.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asked the Centre to take 'stern measures' to ensure that karsevaks were prevented from entering Ayodhya as it would aggravate tension in the backdrop of Wednesday's attack on Sabarmati Express in Gujarat.

"There is an urgent need for all state governments to restrain karsevaks in their states. We should see that they do not converge at the disputed site at Ayodhya," he said.

While condemning Wednesday's attack on karsevaks as 'heinous' Naidu said, "The only solution to Ayodhya dispute is to abide by the Supreme Court's verdict."

The Sabarmati in Flames: Complete Coverage

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