By IANS,
New Delhi : The Samajwadi Party (SP) Thursday said it would observe the anniversary of the Babri Mosque demolition Dec 6 as a “black day”, and accused the Congress-led central government of giving a clean chit to former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao as an “expression of gratitude”.
Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said the Liberhan Commission had given a “clean chit” to Narasimha Rao, who was the prime minister when the Babri Mosque was razed by Hindu zealots Dec 6, 1992.
“It was former prime minister Narasimha Rao who appointed Manmohan Singh as finance minister. The clean chit to Rao is an expression of gratitude (by the Manmohan Singh government),” Mulayam Singh told reporters at a press conference at the residence of party general secretary Amar Singh.
Mulayam Singh said Prabhat Kumar, who was home secretary when the Babri Mosque was demolished, later served as cabinet secretary under a Congress government and was made a governor by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government.
“Both the parties rewarded him,” he said.
Mulayam Singh took exception to the critical references in the Liberhan Commission report to functionaries of the Babri Masjid Action Committee and the Muslim Personal Law Board.
“Even those who lost their mosque have been criticised. What does he (Justice Liberhan) want to say?” he asked, adding the report had come after 17 years, several extensions and an expenditure of crores of rupees.
The SP leader said while observing a black day on Dec 6, his party workers would chant “Hai Shri Rao (Down with Rao)” and “Hai Congress (Down with Congress).”
Amar Singh said during the debate on the Liberhan report in parliament, he and Mulayam Singh would read a letter written by Sheila Dikshit, the present Delhi chief minister, to Rao after the mosque demolition, in which she accused him of “being hand-in-glove with the Sangh Parivar”.
“She is a tall leader of the Congress and has a lot of credibility,” Amar Singh said.
Mulayam Singh said the Congress cannot escape responsibility for the demolition and stoking the dispute. “Who opened the locks of the mosque? Who allowed idols to be placed inside?”
He said the Rao government had given an assurance that the mosque would be rebuilt at the same place. “When will Congress rebuild the mosque? Why is it not doing it?” he said.