(Between December, 1997 and February, 1998, the Congress Spokesman V.N. Gadgil posed 7 sets of questions to the Prime Minister - presumptive Atal Behari Vajpayee. The Ist, 2nd and 5th sets have already been published in Muslim India. The remaining follows- - Editor).

3rd Set

1. The RSS was established in 1925. It did not take part in any of the civil disobedience movements of 1930 and 1932, individual satyagraha of 1940 and the Quit India Movement of 1942. None of the RSS and BJP leaders participated in the freedom struggle and totally opposed Mahatma Gandhi. By what right you claim the legacy of the freedom movement and Mahatma Gandhi?

2. Your party reaction to the announcement of 27% reservation for other backward classes was that it was an "act of singular political immorality", which will result in "apartheid Indian style". Do you approve?

3. The Sangh Parivar never touches anything which does not originate from within it. No Hindu outside the Sangh parivar carries any credit with the Parivar unless the person has status in terms of wealth says Sita Ram Goel, a Pro-BJP publisher of "Voice of India". Do you agree?

4. The RSS organisation lacks any intellectual base. Suspicious of liberty of thought, the RSS thus produced a generation of "uneducated" leadership. In 25 years of its existence the Deen Dayal Research Institute, inspired by the Sangh, has published hardly anything that can be called a work of the solid Hindu Scholarship" - Abhay Chatterjee, IAS (Retired) author of the book, Concept of Hindu Nation. Do you agree?

5. Before coming to power, the Delhi BJP made much noise about presence of 3 lakh Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators in the national capital. But once in power the Khurana Government totally forgot about the whole thing and talked of issuing green cards to infiltrators. Do you approve?

4th Set

1. Nearly three years before the Muslim League in its Lahore resolution of 1940 propounded the Two-Nation theory, it was the father of Hindutva Veer Savarkar, whom you admire very much, had stated at Ahmedabad in December 1937 in his Presidential address at the Hindu Mahasabha Session that "India cannot be assumed today as a unitarian and homogeneous nation, but on the contrary there are two nations in the main the Hindus and the Muslims in India". Do you agree?

2. Guru Golwalkar of RSS had applauded the Nazi programme of extermination of Jews by stating: "Race pride at its highest has been manifested here - Germany has also shown how well-nigh impossible it is for races and cultures, having differences going to the root, to be assimilated into one united whole, a good lesson for us in Hindustan to learn and profit by". Do you approve?

3. Although you are projected by BJP as the Prime Ministerial candidate, there is lot of resistance by RSS. That is the reason why you told Mr. Advani that you would prefer not to contest if Mr. Advani too was to be in the race for the Lok Sabha. Indeed you publicly said at a women's Rally of your party that "Like Ramachandra, I might be given "Vahavas" notice on the day of Rajtilak". Do you deny?

4. Asked if he would be prepared to extend his statement that the mosques in Varanasi and Mathura were not on the BJP's agenda into a guarantee that the BJP would respect their present status for all times to come, Mr. Advani declined to do so (Hindustan Times, 4 June, 1995). Do you approve?

5. Ahmediyas are branded as non-Muslims in Pakistan. In April, 1995, nine Ahmediyas who were peacefully distributing religious literature in Malegaon (Maharashtra) were attacked by a mob of armed Muslims. The police arrested 15 of the culprits. But the BJP and Shiv Sena Government of Maharashtra let them off (Indian Express, 16 April, 1995). Is this not appeasement, Mr. Vajpayee?

6th Set

1. Dr. Shreerang Godbole, an RSS activist from Pune, published a booklet questioning eight ideological formulation of the Sangh Parivar. He says, "I had sent copies of my booklet to all the state and local level RSS functionaries and some related intellectuals. They are all silent. It may interest you to know that I had sent a copy of my original letter to Shri Sudarshanji to Dattopant Thengadi for his specific answers with an additional question". If you truly feel that all religions are worthy of equal respect, will you advise the VHP to give up its campaign of Paravartan? This "tallest intellectual of the Sangh Parivar has not cared to reply". Is this the way Sangh Parivar functions, Mr. Vajpayee?

2. About 65 percent of the voters in Kishanganj are Muslims. Defending the party's shift in policy, District BJP President B.N. Mukherjee said "All political parties are engaged in appeasing Muslims. Why should not we? (Times of India, 2 March, 1995). Is that true?

3. In his press conference in Goa, Mr. Advani said illegal migration by the Bangladesh Muslims was being dealt with by the BJP Governments in the states but the issue was not the "top priority" (Indian Express, 7 April, 1995). Do you agree?

4. Commenting on RSS ideologue Govindacharya's views on Kashmiri Pandits, Panun Kashmir has described Govindacharya as "irresponsible and hypocritical" and accused him of practising the same 'double standards that his people believe in". Anu Tikoo the Mumbai coordinator of Panun Kashmir said: The BJP has been unable to protect the interests of Kashmiri Pandits in India. And so far as understanding of issues is concerned it is the BJP which has completely failed to understand the issue of elections in Kashmir (Indian Express, 25 September, 1996). Do you agree?

5. Commenting on March 1997 announcement of Ashok Singhal, Working President of VHP, that the VHP has dropped the "Direct Action Plan" to liberate Kashi and Mathura, Shri Sitaram Goel pro-Hindutva publisher of Voice of India says that "Mr. Ashok Singhal was speaking tongue-in cheek. He was hiding the truth that the Direct Action Plan was dropped at the behest of BSP which has formed a coalition Government with the BJP in UP, a few days earlier. The VHP is no more than pretensions plank for fooling Hindus into voting for BJP. The rest of the blah blah about the Cow, the Ganga and liberating Hindu places of worship is no more than a smokescreen". Do you agree?

7th Set

1. The questions pertains to the founding of the Sarva Panth Samadar Manch by Mr. Dattapant Thengdi of Sangh Parivar. These are asked not by me but by your Sangh Parivar RSS activist for 17 years, Dr. Shreerang Godbole of Pune:

(i) Do you feel that all religions are worthy of equal respect?

(ii) If so, will you. disown VHP's "Paravartan" campaign?

(iii)If not, will you disown the Sarva Panth Samadar Manch?

(iv) If you disown neither, pray enlighten me as to how the activities of these two can be reconciled.