Vishwa Hindu Parishad chief Ashok Singhal on Thursday said he has lost faith in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and alleged that the Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati was being misled by those against the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow Singhal said: "Swami Jayendra Saraswati does not represent the larger chunk of Hindus of this country and I lost faith in Prime Minister Vajpayee ever since he chose not to include the Ayodhya temple in the ruling National Democratic Alliance agenda."

The Kanchi seer has exchanged a series of proposals with the All India Muslim Personal Law Board to solve the Ayodhya mandir-masjid tangle. All this has not gone down well with the VHP, which has been spearheading the Ram temple movement in the country.

"The Kanchi Shankaracharya is apparently being misguided and taken for a ride," he said and added "after all he must realise that all Hindu saints are not in favour of his Ayodhya formula."

The VHP leader, however, hastened to add: "I am sure once he [the Shankaracharya] is apprised of the facts and of the opposition of the sant samaj to his proposals, he will backtrack too."

Singhal did not answer when a reporter asked how he could say all this when what the Shankaracharya's formula is not known to him.

He flared up when a reporter wanted to know if he was angry because the prime minister had sidelined the VHP in the quest for a peaceful resolution of the Ayodhya dispute. "Let me tell you, no settlement on Ayodhya is possible without the VHP, which has been at the forefront of the Ayodhya movement for the last 18 years," he said and added "after all, how can you take any decision by ignoring the key players."

Singhal declined to make any comment when he was asked if he had more faith in Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchnd Advani.