Ram Vilas Paswan: Until the BJP harps on the Mandir issue on the Ram issue, Ram knows who his real devotees are, Ram will only be their nemesis because Sita haran had been done by Ravana not in his own garb but in the garb of a saint. These people are donning the garb of saints, wearing the Ramnaam chaadar and abducting Sita and are suffering losses and this will only lead to their (political) demise . KAATH KI HAARI BAAR BAAR NAHIN CHADHTA HAI. They should take up the issue of development and leave the Hindutva plank , the Ram issue, the Mandir issue. They should take up issues that affect the common man.

•Shekhar Gupta: Did you discuss this matter with Atalji when you were part of his cabinet?

Ram Vilas Paswan: Wedefinitely discusse the matter and he was convinced. We joined hands with Atalji for two reasons, one was Bihar where we were fighting with the RJD at the time, the people of Bihar desired a change of government. Secondly we were convinced that Atalji is against the RSS. His Lahore bus diplomacy, his assertion that secularism is the soul of the country and then his National Highway Development programme to link the entire country, we then felt that the Mandir issue had been left behind but then Gujarat happened.

•Shekhar Gupta: Your repeated mention of the development of roads leads one to conclude that what you liked most about Atalji was his attempt to build roads

... contd.