Kolkata: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) today (March 1, 2004) said that the vexed Ayodhya problem was likely to be resolved after the Lok Sabha election as the negotiation has reached a "crucial" stage at the initiative of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Government at the Centre.

Stating that Vajpayee Government was playing an important role in resolving the long-pending dispute at Ayodhya, RSS spokesman Ram Madhav told a press conference that the breakthrough could have been achieved before the election.

But as the election had been advanced, a solution was expected after the poll, he said.

Lauding the efforts of the BJP-led Government to find a solution to the Ayodhya problem, the RSS spokesman said it has brought both parties to the negotiation table and the talks had now entered a "crucial phase".

Expressing satisfaction over the developments on the Ayodhya issue, he said that RSS was kept informed about it.

To a question that the BJP had put the Ayodhya issue on the backburner and brought its "India Shining" campaign to the fore, the RSS spokesman said that there was enough reason for the BJP to move ahead with it, since the BJP-led Government had various achievements which required to be highlighted.

He, however, did not agree that the Ayodhya issue had been relegated to the back seat by NDA Government.