BJP accuse Congress of leaking Babri Masjid demolition report

BJP and Congress today clashed over the findings of the Liberhan Commission, which is believed to have indicted senior BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani and M M Joshi, among others, for the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.

Accusing the Congress of playing "dirty politics", the BJP today demanded suspension of Question Hour in both Houses of Parliament and a debate on the "selective leaks" on Liberhan Commission report on Babri Masjid demolition.

The move comes against the backdrop of a media report claiming that former prime minister A B Vajpayee, Advani and BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi were indicted by the Liberhan Commission which probed the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992.

The Liberhan Commission of Inquiry into the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid should be tabled in parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded.

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Taking umbrage, Leader of Opposition Advani said in the Lok Sabha that the report should be tabled immediately. He said he was shocked by the report.

Justice M S Liberhan, who submitted his findings to the government on June 30, this year after an inquiry lasting nearly 17 years, has called the BJP leaders "pseudo-moderates" and stated that the entire build-up to the demolition was meticulously planned, according to a newspaper report.

The volumnous report, expected to be tabled in Parliament along with the Action Taken Report during the ongoing winter session, is believed to have refrained from coming down heavily on the then Union government headed by P V Narasimha Rao, saying that the then state governor did not do much and also did not seek the Centre's intervention.

Accusing the Congress government of "selectively leaking" the report to one newspaper, BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy said this has been done to "divert attention from core issues" like price rise and corruption.

"There is no authenticity of the report. Why government is shying away from tabling the Liberhan report in Parliament?" he asked and said that the move was aimed at creating "turmoil in Parliament and across the nation."




M M Joshi said, "This is a leakage and such leakages are, I think, with a political motive. So the best thing is that the government should place the entire report (in Parliament) and what action they want to take on the report."

Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said "The nation as a whole knows the proximity of the structure where these supposedly senior functionaries of a political party were standing, many of them joyous and clapping, watching hordes of people causing destruction and mayhem and then shedding crocodile tears." Singhvi said.

"The nation also knows about the Rath Yatra, the organised movements. So, I think the people of this country cannot be treated as fools as those who treat them as fools are the real fools," he quipped. Singhvi said.

"There is no question of confirming or denying the report because it is a property of Parliament which is in session and only when the government tables it that we can speak on it."

Demanding that the report be immediately placed before Parliament, Joshi said that six months have passed and, according to the law, it is incumbent upon the government to table the report along with the ATR.

Justice Liberhan said that "anybody could manipulate my report and put something in my mouth but I am not going to comment on it."