New Delhi: The
Samajwadi Party (SP) Thursday said it would observe the anniversary
of the Babri Mosque demolition Dec 6 as a "black day". It 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.
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