NEW DELHI, Aug 3: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Sunday sought to downplay his controversial comment that a temple would be built in Ayodhya.

“There is no change in my government’s policy on the temple. I have said the temple should be built ... in a peaceful manner and in an atmosphere of goodwill,” Vajpayee told party followers in the capital New Delhi.

Opposition parties slammed Vajpayee for saying on Friday that he would fulfil the dying wish of a Hindu priest to build a temple in Ayodhya where a mosque was built in the 16th century. On Sunday Vajpayee sought to clear the air by saying that the funeral was a sad event during which he had to make a brief statement.—AFP