KANPUR: Chandra Shekhar cautioned the people against those trying to inject “religion” in to the forthcoming elections.
Addressing a public meeting at village Purwa about ten km from here in Uttar Pradesh state the prime minister said that some people wanted to “mix religion with politics” and expressed the hope that the masses would not be misled by them.
Chandra Shekhar said that some people were unhappy over the decision of the government to hold elections in Punjab and Assam and wondered how long the people of these states could be deprived of democratic rights.
Ninety per cent of the people in the two states were in favor of holding of elections he said.
General elections to Lok Sabha (Lower house of Parliament) and assemblies of five states and union territory of Pondicherry are being held in May.
Shekhar later said issues like Punjab Assam and Ram Janmabhoomi Masjid could have been solved had its government remained in power for another six months.
He said he had initiated efforts to solve the issues through negotiations. He reiterated that the Ram temple at Ayodhya could be built without harming the mosque.
The prime minister said some people want to create an atmosphere of violence in the coming polls and appealed to those indulging in terrorism “not to use their bullets during elections.”
He said they were trying to disintegrate the country by using religion and caste. “But we have to face them boldly.”
Chandra Shekhar assured the people of building “a new India where poverty unemployment and illiteracy would have no place” if voted to power
Article extracted from this publication >> April 19, 1991
