The following, from our series Flashback Ayodhya: How the Plot Unfolded, is a transcript of an interview which was published first on Eyewitness, in the January 1993 edition of the video newsmagazine.

Mr. Vajpayee, you've often been described as a liberal. What does a liberal mean to you? What are the sort of liberal values that you hold dear?

Take, for example, tolerance. Even if you think that the other viewpoint is not correct, you have to listen to that viewpoint. You have to respect the holder of that viewpoint. There are bound to be differences but differences should not lead us to intolerance. Just because you differ with somebody, you should not become intolerant of them.

Do you find people around you becoming intolerant? Do you find that intolerance?

No, there is a growing tendency in the country as a whole. In politics, attitudes are getting hardened. There is a – the keenness to debate is no longer there to argue the case. The moment you differ, you think that the other guy is a rascal, he's a dishonest person, and his view should be rejected in total. This is something not desirable at all. Tolerance, compassion, respect for each other's viewpoint.Even if we differ, we should be ready to have a debate, and this is missing.

Did you, after December the 6th, offer your resignation to Mr. Sundar Singh Bhandari, the vice president of the BJP and to the Lok Sabha speaker?

I sought the permission of the party to resign from Lok Sabha. When I met the speaker, I expressed my desire to submit my resignation. The party did not allow me to resign. The speaker was not willing to accept my resignation.

Why did you want to resign?

No, I wanted to resign from the Lok Sabha because I had to defy the chair. It never happened that when a speaker was on his legs I persisted in saying something but that happened that day. Congress friends, friends of the left parties, they didn't allow me to speak. The speaker, the honourable speaker, wanted me to make my submission but the next day the situation reached such a boiling point that on behalf of the party, I had to say something because  I became the spokesman after the arrest of Mr. Adwani but the speaker did not allow me and I, in a way, I defied him.

So you were resigning from the Lok Sabha in protest against the speaker's refusal?

Not in protest. To express my regrets that such a situation I was confronted with, such a situation, that I had to defy the chair. I had to defy the chair.

Why did you submit your resignation to Mr. Bhandari? Were you also resigning from the party?

No, I was not resigning from the party. I was resigning from the national executive.

Why were you doing that?

No because of differences on the issue.

What sort of differences?

No, what happened on 6th of December at Ayodhya should not have happened at all and we could not control those who assembled at Ayodhya. It was a failure on our part. We have expressed regret but I thought that I was also responsible for creating an impression in the country. I had addressed a public meeting at Lucknow jointly with Advan ji and Joshi ji. I had given a clear assurance to the people that the disputed structure will not be demolished but it was demolished. I wanted to express my regrets, agony, anguish. That's why I tendered resignation.

You also spoke of differences within the national executive. What sort of differences?

No, I don't discuss the party matters in public.

All right, why did you allow them to persuade you to withdraw your resignation?

No, because when I saw that party was sharing my view and top leaders of the party, even top leaders of RSS, they came out with public statements regretting what had happened at Ayodhya. Then I decided not to pursue with it.

Did you say the party shares your view?

View that what happened at Ayodhya was regrettable but was unfortunate.

They don't describe it in the terms in which you describe it. There is a fundamental difference of quality.

No I don't think there is any fundamental difference. The terminology is the same.

The party is anguished?

Party regretted it.

And is anguished, as you said?

No that may be my personal feeling but there are…

Party accepts a failure, another one of your words?

Yes to maintain discipline, to keep the flock together yes.

Tell me, let me put it differently. Are you happy that they succeeded in persuading you not to resign?

I don't propose to reply to that question. Whether I'm happy or unhappy, that is not very important.

Sounds as if you're unhappy. It's very easy to say I'm happy.

I wish it were so simple.

It's not so simple. So you are unhappy.

Please put another question.

Mr. Vajpayee, what are the sort of things that make you unhappy as a party man?

That will require a long reply.

I have all the time in the world, sir.

No but I know I don't have time.

Please give us some idea. You're a senior and very respect–

I'm not discussing all these matters, please.

But you accept that there are many things within the party that make you unhappy today.

Yeah there are.

Many things.

Yeah.

To what extent in your image has the party's important image of discipline, of adherence to principle, of maintaining law and order suffered as a result of December the 6th?

To some extent, yes.

To a great extent?

To some extent but BJP's image as a disciplined party has suffered to some extent and we are concerned about it but as I said the party has the strength to surmount these temporary setbacks.

All right, surmounting setbacks does require rethinking. It does require slight changes and adjustments, so let's talk about that. In future, what sort of relations would you like your party to have with organisations like the Bajrang Dal, the VHP, even the Dharm Sansad?

No, this is not the time to discuss our relations with other organisations, particularly in the situation when organisations are bent. They are facing an onslaught from the government.

Okay, Mr. Vajpayee, let me stop your defensiveness. What you're still implying is that at some point the party has to rethink its relationship but maybe not now.

Not only the party, the entire country has to rethink.

But the party has to rethink its relationship with these particular organisations.

Not only with these or organisations but party has to undertake self-introspection and we are doing it at the moment.

What does the self- introspection cover? What are the sort of things it needs to think about?

No why things happened the way in which they happened at Ayodhya on the 6th? Why? That is the question.

Several leaders of your party were involved in taking masses there, giving conflicting opinions. I'm talking about Mr Advani, for one. He took people there, he organised the yatras that instigated people, he gave conflicting advice to MPs, he said conflicting things. He wasn't even clearcut, it seems, about the nature of the Kar Seva. To what extent, at the end of the day, does Mr Advani have to bear a large responsibility that the party will want to focus in on?

No I would not like to discuss Mr Advani here but–

But the leadership as a whole will be–

No as I, as I told you earlier on, even on the 5th December, we were convinced that no damage will be caused to the disputed structure. We thought that those who were collected at Ayodhya will abide by the decision taken by the top leadership. Unfortunately they did not do so.

What you are saying is that there was a failure of judgement by the leadership and that needs to be introspected upon?

Yes, we miscalculated, yeah…

And the leadership–

…because we were, at the last moment, we were faced, the people collected at Ayodhya were faced with the choice of either doing nothing or doing something undesirable.

And in a sense, the leadership was responsible for letting this outcome happen. They should have thought about it in advance.

No, we should have thought about many things in advance but we had pinned our hopes on the judgment being delivered before the 6th.

Do you believe that the BJP should now struggle for the restitution of temples at Mathura, Kashi Vishwanath?

No, this is a hypothetical question.

Unfortunately, a lot of things begin as hypothesis. A lot of things begin as hypothesis. Would you want the party to struggle for these two temples after everything that's now happened?

No, either Mathura or Varanasi, they are not on our agenda.

And you don't want them on the agenda?

No.

Let me say something else to you. You sounded very honest. You've spoken with enormous sincerity and confidence, but a lot of people listen to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and say, he speaks in a considering fashion on one day and he blows very hot, like a devil the next. He's being manipulated by the RSS.

[Laughter] People are free to draw their conclusions. I am what I am and…

But is there a sense in which–

… and I don't suffer from double think or double speak, no I don't.

Everything you said to me today, you mean?

Of course. Do you have any doubts?

In which case, why have you publicly told us that you wanted to resign from the NEC? Surely, these are factors that will embarrass the party a little? Why have you told me this?

Because you asked me a question and I wanted to be truthful. I didn't want to hide facts.

Do you also want to push the party by making public your position towards coming closer to your thinking?

No. No question of pushing the party.

It's moving anyway.

I place, I do place my viewpoint very strongly in the party, before the party.

Do you think your colleagues like you in the party? Your senior colleagues?

You direct that question to my colleagues.

In which case my last question, Mr Advani–

Mr. Advani? [laughs heartily]

My apologies, a Freudian slip. In that case, Mr Vajpayee, is there any chance of your wanting to resign from the national executive or Parliament again in foreseeable future? Can you see anything happening that might make you want to resign again?

No.

You're going to stay in the national executive for the foreseeable future.

Yes.

Mr. Vajpayee, thank you very much.

Thank you.

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