BJP bigwigs steer clear of Vedanti's words

Bhopal, Sep 22 (UNI) BJP leaders today distanced themselves from Vishva Hindu Parishad leader and former party MP Ram Vilas Vedanti's statement that the person who brought him Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's head or tongue, in the wake of the latter's ''baseless'' statement on Lord Ram, would be weighed against gold.

Party spokesman Prakash Jawadekar, Ram temple issue proponents former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, Vinay Katiyar and others -- who were attending the BJP's three-day National Executive meet here -- described Mr Vedanti's statements as his personal view.

Former Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain defended the party by saying, ''in every democracy a democratic process has to be adopted for solving every problem. Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu's denying the Ram Setu's existence, in the wake of Mr Karunanidhis statement, is a conspiracy by the Centre. The Congress is issuing such statements in a predetermined manner.'' Claiming that the Sethu was synonymous with Indianness, nationality and culture, Mr Singh added that one who denied Lord Ram's existence was denying the Indian nation itself.

UNI