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On board special aircraft: A day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agreed to consider Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) demand for a legislation on Ram temple at Ayodhya, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on July 13 asserted that "a narrow appeal of hindutva" was not acceptable to the party and its anti- Muslim image hurt its ability to rule the country.

Declining to comment on the commitment given by party president Venkaiah Naidu to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders on Ayodhya issue, Advani expressed hope that the Sangh Parivar outfit would appreciate BJP's commitment to ideology along with pragmatism demanded by changing circumstances.

"We have not abandoned our agenda. The commitment to basic values of ideology has to go along with pragmatic response to the changing scenario. We hope that our associates are more committed to ideology…would appreciate this with the passage of time," Advani said in an informal chat with reporters en route to Nagpur to attend some functions.

While acknowledging that BJP arrived at present point by virtue of the Ayodhya movement, he asked, "Why is VHP criticising us? Any narrow appeal of 'hindutva' is not acceptable to us."

Asserting that BJP believes that genuine secularism was not vote bank politics or the state being allergic to Hinduism, Advani said, "Nobody should look at us as their enemies. Our image as anti-Muslim hurts our ability and capability to rule this country."

PTI