Uma Bharti reiterates moral responsibility of Babri Masjid demolition

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 03:18:00 PM, Pervez Bari, ummidcom

Bhopal: Former Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), leader and chief of Bharatiya Janshakti Party, Uma Bharti has reiterated her old stand of taking moral responsibility of the demolition of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in the eastern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

"Even if I am hanged for it (demolition) I shall not waver and gleefully take the noose", Bharti declared. She was taking part in a live debate tonight on IBN7 TV channel from her residence here in Bhopal.

It may be mentioned here that a section of the Indian media on Monday reported that the Justice Liberhan Commission has named former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee along with senior rightwing BJP leaders L. K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi as being responsible for spearheading the Karseva movement to demolish the mosque on December 6, 1992. Only a portion has been leaked out to media while the whole report is still to be tabled in Indian Parliament.

However, Bharti, who is also a former Chief Minister of central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, said accepting moral responsibility has no bearing in a court of law. She would fight it out legally when the Justice Liberhan Commission report is declared officially and the responsibility is fixed.

She said that she takes pride in to have been a part of the Ram Janambhoomi (birth place) movement to build a majestic Ram Temple at Ayodhya where Babri Masjid existed.

With no remorse whatsoever she declared: “Yes we called the people to Ayodhya and created a sentimental environment to demolish the Babri Masjid. However, I do not know as to who were the people who were instrumental in bringing down the Masjid."

"Mein Girgit Ki Tarah Rang Nahin Badlungi (will not change colour like a chameleon) to disown the demolition", she exclaimed.

On the selective leakage of the report of the Justice Liberhan Commission which had submitted its report on June 30 this year to the Federal Government , in the national daily Indian Express, she said if the actual report does not tally with what has appeared in it then the existence of the newspaper will be a question mark.

Similarly, if the leakage conforms with the actual report then the integrity of the Federal Home Minister P. Chidambaram will be a big question mark as he had claimed that there was only one copy of the report with him. There should be a full-fledged debate on this aspect of the leakage first, she demanded.

It may be mentioned here that in both the Houses of Parliament Chidambaram refuting suggestions that the report had been leaked by his ministry had said: “……I must be a very foolish man to leak it and embarrass myself. There is only one copy of the report. It is in my custody. No one has spoken to any journalist”.

Meanwhile, addressing the media persons here earlier in the day Bharti defended leaders of the BJP whose names have featured in the leaked report.

Bharti questioned the integrity of the report and said: “Since I have not seen the entire report, I can't comment on it. However, if actually the name of Atal Behari is mentioned in this report, it is a question mark on the integrity of report itself. She further suspected that the Federal Government has deliberately leaked the report to malign the top leaders of the BJP.

The Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan Commission was set up by the then P. V. Narasimha Rao Government on December 16, 1992. After 17 years and 42 extensions the commission submitted its report on June 30 this year.

The Federal Home Ministry is reportedly giving final touches to the Action Taken Report (ATR). The ATR is likely to be placed before Parliament along with the Liberhan Commissions report in the current session.

pervezbari@eth.net

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