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- WORLD, Page 47World NotesINDIAOn the Way Out?
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- The arrest of a Hindu revivalist last week has pushed Prime
- Minister V.P. Singh's government to the verge of collapse and
- the country into turmoil. At the center of the controversy is
- L.K. Advani, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, a Hindu
- nationalist group whose support is necessary for Singh's shaky
- coalition government to survive. Advani had embarked on a
- five-week religious march to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, where
- he vowed to begin building a temple in honor of the Hindu god
- Rama. But a mosque already sits on the site, and Muslims are
- vehemently opposed to moving it.
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- Fearing religious conflict, Singh ordered Advani's arrest.
- The B.J.P. immediately withdrew its support from the
- government, a move likely to bring about Singh's fall when a
- vote of confidence is held next week. Nor did it prevent
- violence. In the days after the arrest, more than 60 people
- died during riots between Hindus and Muslims, and tens of
- thousands of troops and police were deployed in Uttar Pradesh
- to prevent further bloodshed.
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