Liberhan report used for character assassination: BJP

By IANS,

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday slammed the Liberhan Commission report on the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya, saying the report is a "political document for character assassination".

Participating in the debate on the report in the Lok Sabha, BJP president Rajnath Singh alleged that the commission made political comments in the report by calling former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and party leaders L.K. Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi as "pseudo moderates".

"Atalji, Advaniji and Joshiji were called pseudo moderates. This (the report) is a political document for character assassination. Commissions can not make any political comments. It is deplorable," said Rajnath Singh in his speech, which was disrupted occasionally by MPs from the treasury benches.

He said the demolition of the mosque on Dec 6, 1992, was "public anger and it was not an event which could be controlled".

"It was a spontaneous action committed by the people," said the BJP president.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram had to intervene following disruption in the house when Rajnath referred to historic documents, written by 17th and 18th century Muslim clerics, and books written by Western historians to establish that Babri Masjid was built in 1528 by demolishing Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"We are not here to discuss the title suit. That is subjudice," said Chidambaram.

Speaker Meira Kumar upheld the home minister's observation saying "if the matter is subjudice, it could not be discussed".

Justifying Kalyan Singh, who was then the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Rajnath Singh said: "On Dec 1, 1992, Kalyan Singh had expressed his inability to take action against the 'karsevaks' (volunteers) to the then central government headed by Narasimha Rao."

"There are factual errors in Liberhan Commission report," the BJP president said referring to various chapters in the report, adding: "It is a bundle of factual errors."

Initiating the discussion, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Gurudas Dasgupta said both the central and state governments did not do their constitutional job in Ayodhya.

"The report appears to be not comprehensible and in a way partial," he said.

He said the demolition of the mosque was meticulously organised.

"The political leadership of the movement -- Vajpayee, Advani and Joshi -- were all aware of the target," he said.

Dasgupta's remark that those who were responsible for the killing of Mahatma Gandhi were behind the Babri Masjid's demolition and Gujarat riots created an uproar in the house.

Congress MP Jagadambika Pal said the people of the country have rejected the BJP.

"Let the (CBI) Central Bureau of Investigation take action against those guilty," he said.

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There is no collective guilt

History can not be corrected; there can never be collective guilt over many generations.

The present day Jews should not be blamed for crucifying Jesus Christ (this is according to the Christian belief, but the Quran says, Jesus Christ was neither crucified nor killed, though it appeared so, certainly he was not killed on the cross).

The French should not be blamed for sending Joan of Arc to the stake. Can we blame the Spaniards for raping Philippines and forcefully converting the entire nation to Catholicism, except the brave Moro Muslims of Mindanao?

But history of India is clear that the Mogul rulers were more interested in secular India rather than Islamisizing its population and it is a fact that the great Muslim saints, walis, Sufis, and mystiques spread Islam in India even before the coming of Moguls, the first Masjid in Kerala was built about 1400 years ago.

Who in India is responsible for the persecution of Jains and Buddhists?

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