New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on January 4 censured Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for its "personalised" attack on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee over his Goa musings and strongly defended the "rath yatra" of Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, which the parivar outfit had alleged damaged the cause of Ram temple.

"It has been our consistent stand that while organisations in the parivar have the freedom to voice their views on issues, the discourse should not be personalised," RSS joint spokesman Ram Madhav said when asked about senior VHP leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore's outbursts against Vajpayee and Advani.

"We do not appreciate people in high positions being labelled as pseudo-Hindus etc. Vajpayee and Advani are held in very high esteem by not only members of the parivar but a large section of the people of India," Ram Madhav said.

Asked about the VHP leaders' charge that Advani's "rath yatra" had damaged the cause of the temple and he had earned political dividends from it, the RSS leader described the Deputy Prime Minister's contributions as "phenomenal".

"Through his rath yatra, he had contributed immensely towards mobilising public opinion in favour of the Ram Janambhoomi movement and also strengthened our ideological position through his elucidation of cultural nationalism and exposing of pseudo-secular political forces in the country. We consider his contribution to our movement as very valuable," Madhav said.

Asked whether RSS has reprimanded the VHP leaders, he said, "We are like a family and we will sit down and discuss the issue at an appropriate time."

PTI