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.
Fearing religious...