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BJP, VHP criticise Thackeray's proposal

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's statement that a national monument be constructed at the site where the Babri Masjid once stood in Ayodhya has invited criticism from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bharatiya Janata Party.

While the BJP said it had nothing to do with Thackeray's proposal, the VHP described it as 'laughable' and an attempt to appease both Hindus and Muslims.

On Friday, Thackeray told a press conference that a national monument was the 'only way to end the deadlock.' Besides, he proposed the building of a temple and mosque in Ayodhya.

B L Sharma 'Prem', a former BJP MP. found Thackeray's proposal 'intriguing'. He said the Sena leader was running scared of the court case against him. According to the court's decision neither a temple nor a mosque could be constructed within one-and-a-half kilometres of the site. ''This strategy of Thackeray is not only useless but also regrettable,'' Sharma said.

BJP vice-president K L Sharma washed his hands off the proposal by saying, "It is not part of the common programme the BJP and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra agreed to.''

UNI

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