'Don't hurt religious sentiments of society': Advani cautions UPA

New Delhi, Mar 7 (UNI) Cautioning the Centre against hurting the emotions of the people, Leader of the Opposition L K Advani today said the UPA coalition had undermined the sentiments of the Hindus by denying the existence of Lord Rama before the Supreme Court.

Speaking at the concluding session of the day-long 'Veerangana Sammelan', a BJP Yuva Morcha conference drawing young women folk from across the country, Mr Advani said the Government described Lord Rama as an 'mythological and not a historic character' in the affidavit before the Supreme Court.

Describing the Ayodhya movement as the third biggest mass agitation in the country, Mr Advani said Ram temple in Ayodhya was not just a desire but a campaign against the pseudo-secularists, who were posing obstacles at every given opportunity.

India, he said has the tradition of being a society to assimilate and honour even those who bitterly differed with the mainstream and cited the example of Charvaka -- in the age old existentialist propogating materialism. ''However, this doesn't allow the Government to be licentious and contemptuous towards Hinduism.'' ''Can they (UPA) think of same attitude against any other religion or personality like they have done with Rama? he asked.

The kind of response the nation has given to ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata'' be it in literary form or even for the serials should be a wake up call for many, he added.

He said the BJP or the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, its previous avatar had the distinction of giving the country a level playing field, in Independent India by sacrificing many lives like that of BJS founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, who had died mysteriously in the prisons of Jammu and Kashmir. ''He paid with his life fighting for the sake of India, its flag, jurisdiction of its Parliament and Judiciary,'' Mr Advani said.

He said it was to the credit of the Constituent Assembly of the country that there was not even dissent or whisper against providing voting rights for women in Independent India, a right that was granted to women after great amount of struggles even in developed democracies of Europe.

Mr Advani said BJP and NDA Governments that were in power in nine states of the country were able to provide good governance, development through honest leadership. 'Chiranjeevi', Gujarat Government's mother and child health programme was regarded as the 'most innovative programme' which brought down the infant and maternal mortality rates drastically.

UNI MCN KAS SB DB1959