BJP V.P. K.L. Sharma has further muddied the waters of the Sarayu by restoring to life an issue that PM Vajpayee had worked hard to bury. Vajpayee's solemn assurances - "I will allow no violation of the judicial process" and "we have put Ayodhya behind us" – were still echoing in the august lower House, when Sharma declared that any court verdict against the Ram temple would be overruled through legislation. Sharma was categorical that the BJP was still committed to building the temple at the disputed site. The BJP's opponents, and, indeed, most ordinary people are expectedly agitated. To the former this is a typical example of BJP doublespeak, while the latter feel the last thing the country needs now is to open up a contentious matter The temple ... has long been the BJP's trump cards. The party agreed to exclude it from the National Agenda because its allies would not have it any other way ...

.. On Ayodhya ... even those in favour of the temple will disapprove of precipitate action in a matter that is intrinsically divisive. The BJP is technically within its rights in arguing for legislation to facilitate the temple ... But there are many problems with this proposition. For a start, the BJP has itself questioned that action of the Congress ... Any attempt to upset the current status quo - either through a specific act or by needless utterances - will inevitably lead to another round of wholly avoidable action and reaction ...