M A I N   N E W S

Centre’s clean chit to Advani, Joshi in Ayodhya case

New Delhi, July 9
Virtually giving a clean chit to Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and Union Minister M.M. Joshi in the proceedings before the Liberhan Commission, the Centre has accused the Opposition parties and Muslim leaders of resorting to “false propaganda and malicious activities” to divide communities on the Ayodhya issue.

In its written submission before the commission, the Centre asserted that the BJP and its leaders favoured a solution through negotiated settlement or legislation to reach a “grand reconciliation” between the Hindu and Muslim communities but leaders of Opposition parties, including the then Prime Minister misrepresented the facts in Parliament and outside.

“...Ram Janambhoomi should be handed over to the Hindus through a negotiated settlement or else through a legislation and this approach, both Mr Advani and Mr Joshi and other BJP leaders, had been propagating and saying to everybody that please come and negotiate, asking the government to facilitate such negotiations.

“The Ayodhya issue was being used to create this divide and that the long relations between these two communities were being distorted by false propaganda and malicious activities by all opposition parties and Muslim leaders,” the Centre said in its submission filed by counsel Lala Ram Gupta and Bhupender Yadav, before the commission probing the demolition of disputed structure at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

The government maintained that Mr Advani’s rath yatra in 1990 was aimed at creating awakening in the people about the national importance of construction of the Ram Temple and Mr Joshi joined the movement in the interest of national unity, but the then government provoked the people by calling the disputed place as “mosque”.

Mr “Joshi and the BJP National Executive were of the view that nothing should be done which excited passions and the government’s duty was to keep the passion cool. On the other hand, the government was trying to create a situation to provoke people when the then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao called the said place as ‘mosque’ and showed favour to Opposition parties and the Muslims,” the Centre said.

Asserting that sadhus, sants and VHP leaders were leading the movement and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Mr Advani, Mr Joshi and other leaders were supporting it with an approach of finding out a meeting ground to create a consensus for the construction of the Ram Temple, the government said Opposition parties wanted to keep the dispute alive for their political gains. — PTI