New Delhi, June 30: Apparently not wanting to sour relations with members of the Sangh Parivar, BJP today said the views expressed by RSS chief K S Sudarshan and VHP leader Ashok Singhal on Kashmir and Ayodhya were "theirs" and "everybody is free to express their opinion." "RSS is not a political party and it also never spoke of forcing its agenda on BJP. We are a political party and VHP is a separate organisation and it is free to draw up its own agenda. If anybody has a view, he is free to do so," party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters here.
RSS chief had in Jammu yesterday reportedly said that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee lacked clarity of thought on Kashmir and asked what give and take the Prime Minister was talking about. Naqvi said the party supported the government's efforts to find a solution to the ayodhya issue as it was doing so "keeping in view national interests and that it would take any step which would maintain the self-respect of the people."
Naqvi said even though BJP favoured construction of a temple in Ayodhya, but it should be done on the basis of a negotiated settlement among all the concerned communities, negotiated settlement or court verdict. On the efforts by Shankaracharya to resolve the Ayodhya issue, he said, "We always have a positive stand on the initiative of the Shankaracharya and hope that the issue would be resolved." Bureau Report