LUCKNOW: The BJP Government in Uttar Pradesh is quietly working on a Strategy to spring a surprise on the Congress Government at the Center by introducing a Bill for acquisition of the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi/Babri Masjid area in Ayodhya and getting it passed by the Vidhan Sabha where the party is in majority.

The Bill is likely to be a reply to the Congress-I Government at the Center which passed the Places of Worship Bill for maintenance of the status quo in the Lok Sabha.

Both the Houses of the state legislature which were adjourned sine die have not prorogued so far keeping the political circles in the state capital intrigued. While the Vidhan Sabha was adjourned since die on August 13 the Vidhan Parishad was adjourned on August 14.

Prorogation useless

The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Rajendra Kumar Gupta did not rule out the possibility of holding sittings of the legislature early next month to transact some legislative business and therefore he considered the prorogation unnecessary.

Though Gupta denied that the legislation on the Ayodhya shrine will be one of the legislative measures for getting passed yet there are firm indications of the Bill being brought forward in a surprise manner? A comprehensive bill on the sales tax has been cited by him as one of the legislative measures for which the Assembly and the Council have not been prorogued. However this is not convincing.

It is only the measure for the acquisition of the Ayodhya shrine area which cannot be taken through an ordinance since the Governor would not promulgate it in the absence of prior instruction of the President since it will be dealing with a Concurrent subject. The President is unlikely to issue the prior instruction which implies his assent for the ordinance of such a nature.

Ordinance on shrine

Three ordinances which could not be replaced by bills and passed by the two Houses of the State Legislature can be reissued and $o also an ordinance on the Sales tax. Therefore what could not be done through an ordinance is the acquisition of the shrine area for removing the hurdles in the construction of the Ram temple

The object of the BJP Government is in fact not to remove the hurdles since it cannot do so even if the legislation is passed by the Vidhan Sabha but to take the blame at the door of the Center projecting it as the only hurdle in temple construction.

According to the strategy being worked out the Bill will be passed by the Vidhan Sabha but rejected by the opposition dominated Vidhan Parishad which could hold over the measure for more than three months. Thereafter the Bill would be deemed to have been passed and sent to the President of India for his assent.

Action for acquisition of area and the properties and vesting them in the Government cannot be taken so long as the Bill is not accorded President’s assent which according to the BJP sources would not be coming forth serving the twin political purposes of the party.

The first objective would be to demonstrate its sincerity in implementing its commitment for removing the obstacles through a legislative measure and the other making the Congress-I Government as villain of the piece for non-construction of the temple and carrying conviction with Ram devotees that Rammandir could be constructed only when the BJP was in power at the Center also.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 20, 1991