New Delhi, July 31
The Congress today accused the BJP-led government of “deliberately sabotaging” the Babri masjid demolition case “as part of a planned conspiracy’’ to get Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani, HRD Minister M. M. Joshi and leaders of Sangh Parivar out of the case.

Congress chief spokesman Jaipal Reddy told mediapersons here that the CBI had not produced the tapes containing details of speeches of Mr Advani and other BJP and VHP leaders. “The evidence with the CBI earlier produced in Lucknow court has not been shifted to Rae Bareli court,’’ he said.

The spokesman said the government was all the time trying to confuse the charge sheet filed by the CB-CID with evidence that was produced under a joint charge sheet in the Lucknow court.

“The joint charge sheet and evidence of the CB-CID should be seen together. They are organically interlinked,’’ Mr Reddy said.

He accused Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani of “scrupulously and cynically misutilising the CBI to get out of the cases’’ relating to the demolition of the Babri mosque at Ayodhya. The Congress had earlier sought a reply from the Prime Minister on the issue.

Mr Reddy said the Congress wanted a discussion in both the Houses on the issue but the government was being “insensitive.’’ The government’s arguments were not valid due to “startlingly new developments,’’ Mr Reddy said.

Pointing out that the Congress wanted the government to agree to a substantive discussion, he said that the party could not be a “passive witness to massive fraud on the criminal justice system.’’ No one is happy raising the issue in a tempestuous fashion, he said.

“We know that Mr Advani is so thick-skinned that he will not resign. But we want him to take part in the debate,’’ he said, adding, “The ball is in the court of the government.’’

To a question, Mr Reddy said audio and video cassettes that contained speeches of Mr Advani, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi and others were with the CBI. It is the job of the CBI to retain the cassettes,’’ he said.