Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday said not a single bullet will be fired on Hindu activists gathering for a Friday rally in Ayodhya.

Also see: More than 400 VHP activists held in Ayodhya

"We will not fire a single bullet on Ram bhakts. They will be allowed to perform their pujas peacefully," he told reporters in New Delhi before leaving for Lucknow.

Yadav said he is not for any confrontation with either the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which is organising the rally to resolve to build a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, or the Union government.

Yadav had a telephonic conversation on Wednesday with Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani after the latter advised him to avoid a confrontation with Ram bhakts.

This entire week, the UP government has been arresting VHP activists arriving from across the country to prevent them from reaching Ayodhya.
 
Advani apparently told Yadav that since assurances that the rally will be peaceful had come from the top brass of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, VHP's parent body, the UP government should allow the rally to take place.