WE are deeply concerned that a dangerous communal issue is raising its head, once again, in India. The Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is reported to have described a plan to raise a Hindu temple on the site of the former Babri mosque as an “unfinished national task”. This 16th century mosque was razed to ground by Hindu militant mobs eight years ago. setting off country-wide riots in which nearly 2000 people were killed.

Vajpayee’s remarks have hurt Muslim sentiments and provoked an outcry in the country. The Muslim contribution to India, whether in the past, the present or in the future, cannot be denied nor can it be emphasised enough. Muslims number nearly 200 million in India and are an integral part of the fabric of the country. To ignore the significance of Muslim sentiment in India would be a tragic oversight for any party, more so for India s ruling Hindu fundamentalist party, the BJP.

Indians may not always co-exist in communal harmony, but there is no denying the secular efforts of this nation of a billion and more people. If communal violence were to break out again. India would lose a great deal of its image as a secular nation. As a result of Vajpayee’s remarks, tensions have escalated already and one Muslim has been stabbed to death and two Muslim shrines have been attacked. We are concerned that matters may go even more out of hand and we therefore urge Vajpayee to move to diffuse the situation, immediately.

We are aware that Vajpayee's remarks may be because he is courting the Hindu vote in anticipation of state elections in the UP scheduled next year. But this is most unfortunate. Vajpayee has established a track record of even-handedness and consensus building that has surprised and silenced critics of the right wing BJP. He. himself, has gained considerably in image not only nationally, but also on a regional level. His recent initiative to declare a ceasefire in Kashmir at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is a case in point. After taking these positive steps in the right direction for so long, we urge the Indian leader not to surrender to the forces of narrow communal Interest now. That would be a big loss for India and for the region as well