By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Welcoming the indictment of Sangh Parivar leaders for their role in the demolition of Babri Masjid, Muslim leaders have condemned the Liberhan Commission for giving a clean chit to the Congress and its then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. Though the culprits have been indicted, the Muslim leaders said, they are not a bit hopeful that the culprits will be punished.
Talking to Mumtaz Alam Falahi of TwoCircles.net, Syed Shahabuddin, ex-MP and Convenor, Babri Masjid Coordination Committee, Dr Zafrul Islam Khan, President, All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat and Nusrat Ali, General Secretary, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, have expressed their views on various aspects of the issue.
Q: How do you take the indictment of Sangh Parivar leaders in the Liberhan Commission report for the Babri Masjid demolition?
Syed Shahabuddin:
The role of BJP, VHP and Sangh Parivar in the demolition of Babri Masjid was known to all. If the Liberhan Commission has indicted leaders of these parties, it is correct. But I have reservation on the indictment of Vajpayee. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was president of BJP. He no doubt knew what was going to happen. But he did not take part in the Ayodhya yatra. He did not go to Ayodhya. He returned from Lucknow perhaps to keep himself clean. Justice demands that Advani and Vajpayee cannot be put in the same dock. I am not advocating for him. My conscience feels so.
However, the biggest blunder that the Liberhan Commission has done is that it has given a clean chit to Narasimha Rao, the then Prime Minister of India. In my view he is culprit No. 1. in this case. The very second day of the demolition I wrote to Rao and told him he was more responsible than the Sangh Parivar for the demolition. Because he was prime minister, he had power and responsibility to protect the mosque, but he did not execute his power. I say he was connived with the Sangh Parivar. We gave him numerous memorandums and proposals. We urged him to take the mosque in government’s control and declare it national monument of historic importance so that it becomes his government’s responsibility to protect it. But he didn’t. Rao was super villain in this case.
Only history will answer the question as to why Rao was given clean chit and Vajpayee indicted. But I would like to ask why the report was submitted now when it was completed four years ago. Why did Liberhan do so? I would not comment on it. But of course I would say that some time back it was said that Advani was being exonerated and Rao indicted. Now today the case is different. It surely means something happened behind the scene.
Zafrul Islam Khan:
Not only RSS, BJP, Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal but Congress is also responsible for the demolition of the mosque. We know who did shila nayas there, who opened the lock of the mosque. Rajiv Gandhi launched his election campaign from that place announcing to establish ram rajya in the country. It is pitiable that the commission has indicted only Sangh Parivar while the Congress and its then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao have been given a clean chit when they were also responsible for that.
According to media reports, Justice Liberhan changed his story many times. When the Congress was in power he was writing something. When NDA came to power he started writing something else. Now Congress again in power, he has come with this report.
Nusrat Ali:
The report should have come much earlier, made public and discussed in the Parliament. Though late, the report is welcome. However, its findings are not at all surprising for us. What happened in 1992 was known to all. Now there is a need for action on this report.
Q: The government took 17 years to find out culprits of the demolition. How long will it take to punish them?
Syed Shahabuddin:
70 years. You know the fate of the two cases in this regard against top leaders of Sangh Parivar. I won’t say only government is to blame for this. IB is also responsible for it. Two chief ministers of UP are also to blame for this. They split the case into two and did not pursue it honestly. How can we hopeful about punishment of these leaders?
Zafrul Islam Khan:
The culprits now have become big personalities. They have ruled the country. They have become prime minister and deputy prime minister and home minister. They are now part of State. They have a big power in the Parliament. No one is going to touch them. I don’t think they are going to be punished in the present political situation. Contrary to that, I think the report will give a new lease of life to the dying party.
Nusrat Ali:
It was not good for the government to strain the commission to such a long period and spend crores of rupees on it. This was not good for the country. If it makes delay in punishing the culprits again, it will be not good for the country.
Q: Liberhan Commission has criticized leaders of Muslim organizations like Babri Masjid Action Committee for failing the community and not presenting a consensus and constant view on the dispute neither in the court nor outside. What do you think about it?
Syed Shahabuddin:
Muslim leaders and organizations related to the Babri Masjid Movement like Babri Masjid Coordination Committee and All India Babri Masjid Action Committee had united view that they will act keeping themselves within the parameters of law and constitution. We were not holding agitation. We were holding talks with the government on day-to-day basis. We were holding talks with different political parties, raising the issue in the Parliament and before the media. We were not raising armed forces to take on the Hindutva brigade. Whatever the commission has said about Muslim leadership is just their feeling. They have not accused us of collecting crores of rupees or demolition as they did in the case of Hindutva leaders.
Zafrul Islam Khan:
This is sheer injustice. Muslim leaders and organizations did nothing except raising their voice. Except that they did nothing, they had no power. On the other hand, Sangh Parivar gathered about 7 lakh people. Criticism of Muslim leaders is just part of traditional balancing act of Congress governments in India. Whenever they ban RSS they also ban Jamaat-e-Islami.
Nusrat Ali:
This is not correct. Muslims have always been united on the issue. For the community and leaders Babri Masjid was always Babri Masjid. Maybe there have been differences in their approach but not in the goal. There was no difference on the fact that idols should be removed from the mosque and it should be opened for namaz.
This is part of balancing act of the government. When Babri Masjid was demolished the government banned RSS who was responsible for the demolition. But it also banned Jamaat-e-Islami Hind which had no justification. The Supreme Court removed the ban from us. The policy of this balancing act is itself an oppression and injustice.
Q: If court verdict goes in favor of Muslims, what should be the stand of Muslims?
Syed Shahabuddin:
It is the responsibility of the government to enforce rule of law. But I have one apprehension: if the verdict is in our favor and we decide to build the mosque there, then again Sangh Parivar will create trouble and chaos in the country. I think when the time comes Muslim leadership will sit and decide what to do. But let the decision first come. Once I said that we will erect a boundary wall around the place and put a board on it that will read: Rest in Peace Here Lies Secularism.
Zafrul Islam Khan:
I don’t think court verdict is going to be in our favor. If it is so, we should honestly take into account the ground situation of the area. We should accept we have no presence at that place. Moreover, when Muslims were prevented from offering prayers in 1937, stones were thrown on them then, in today’s communally volatile situation when Muslims are not allowed to rebuild their homes, mosques, mazars demolished in 1992 how can the new mosque be built.